Wings of the Phoenix
by Deiru Tamashi
Summary: My name is Yume Soyokaze. I was watching a new anime called Inuyasha and made a wish that I could be in it. Then I go to bed and wake to find that my wish came true! Read as I travel along with Inuyasha and the others and learn more about the world of Feudal Japan, battle, and a terrible secret about myself that I didn't even know. Rated T just in case. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

**Notice:**This story will be told through the first-person view of my OC, Yume. I will occasionally change the POV from time to time, and when it do I will given an indication saying so. That being said, here is the first chapter! Enjoy!

**Wings of the Phoenix**

Ch.1 A Wish Come True

"Just leave me alone!" my sister yelled, slamming the door to her bedroom in my face. I was tempted to force it open and try to make her see reason, but knowing both her and me neither of us were going to reach a peaceful end to this discussion. So I sighed sadly, and turned around to walk back to the living room.

My name is Yume Soyokaze. I had recently turned sixteen along with my half-sister, Suteki. We both lived in a sparsely populated area of Washington (the state, not the capital) with our single mother Tsuki. Ever since we had turned thirteen my sister and I had been drifted apart, separated by some unknown barrier. I had become more fiery and independent, and my sister became secretive and sullen. Over the last few months we had constantly argued over the littlest things- today being a prime example. I wanted to watch my DVD of this anime I was interested in called Inuyasha, while Suteki wanted to watch Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Somewhere along the road the disagreement had become another argument, with my sister retreating to her room to either read a book or surf the web on her laptop.

I sighed, wondering what could be done about us while I made my way back to the living room. As long as my sister was in her room I might as well watch TV. Our house didn't have a lot of furniture; a single mother raising two daughters with no help from her family couldn't afford many luxuries. But one time my mother had won three-thousand dollars in a local lottery, and after placing half of it in the bank she told us that we as a family could decide what to get with the other half. And, both us being nine years old at the time, my sister and I had said that we wanted a bigger TV. Now I sat down on the couch, and clicked the remote to change the input on our 42 inch HD flat-screen.

I placed the disc to the first season of Inuyasha in the DVD player and waited while it loaded, before showing the menu with the two main characters, Inuyasha and Kagome. I hadn't gotten very far in the series, only far enough to see Shippo join the party and nothing else. I was looking forward to seeing what came next. Then the first episode began playing, and I realized that I had put in the wrong disc. "Dammit," I muttered, but decided to watch this episode anyway. The usual occurred; Inuyasha stole the jewel, was pinned to the tree, Kagome entered the shrine, fell in the well and saw him there fifty years after he was pinned. "Man, I wish I could be in Inuyasha," I thought aloud.

Little did I know, a shooting star passed by at the exact moment I said that.

A while later I had fallen asleep watching my show, but was awoken to the smiling face my mother. "Come on Yume, it's time to get up. Dinner's ready," Tsuki said. Groggily I did as she asked, but immediately snapped to full alert at the scent of the food. "Is that... fajitas?" I asked, almost drooling at the thought of my favorite Hispanic food. She nodded. "I made then just for you and your sister," my mother said. "Oh mom, you didn't have to..." I began, but she shook her head firmly. "I don't want to hear it. Now go wash your hands and then come make your plate," she said, smiling. I hugged her tightly and said "Thanks, mom," before running off to the bathroom. I washed my hands thoroughly- both my mother and I were clean freaks- before stopping to look at myself in the mirror.

I was a little above mid-height, with definite curves that were accentuated by my athletic build, having gotten from years of being on track and field. My brown hair came down to about my shoulders, framing a face with lightly tanned skin and sea-blue eyes that showed a definite calm, which I only failed to keep in the most intense situations. At that moment I wore blue jeans that clutched my legs tightly, a brown turtleneck sweater and black ankle boots. Smiling, I walked back to the kitchen too that my sister had already made her plate and was eating. Suteki looked like me in that she also had brown hair and blue eyes, but her appearance was shorter, paler and more that of someone who did little exercise yet ate healthy. Which made sense considering her skill and time spent practicing music.

My mother had grown out her long hair such that it touched the small of her back, and the birth of two children had done nothing to diminish her beauty. She wore the same blue dress she had worn to work beneath a large white apron, and she squinted blue eyes that were the same as mine when she peered at the pan full of sizzling strips of beef and chicken on the stove. "There, all done," she said happily, and scooped them onto the plate from which me and my sister could grab them and make our dinner. The whole meal was, as usual, delicious, and I thanked Mom for it once I was done. I felt strangely tired, and when I went to sleep I just fell on my bed without even changing into my pajamas.

xxx

That night I had one of the weirdest dreams I had in my life, which was saying a lot. I imagined that I was flying through a long, dark tunnel, unable to see or hear except for the sound of rushing wind and a distant pinprick of light. Gradually it grew, becoming larger and larger until it consumed me entirely, and I felt a blaze of burning pain. I gasped and my eyes snapped open, only for me to be in a place that I didn't even recognize. I was wearing the same clothes as before but now I stood in the middle of a Japanese shrine, with a huge tree near the side and a sign next to an old building that read "The Bone-Eater's Well". The minute I saw that my eyes widened, and then I heard a voice call "Bye Mom! See you after school!"

I darted my head in time to see a young girl run out of the door of a house. She had long black hair and a curved figure with well-toned thighs, which could be seen because of the lesser length of her green school skirt. Her eyes were brown and filled with energy, and she wore a long sleeve white blouse with a red ribbon laced through the front with a green collar. I gasped. Kagome. I was unable to move and hardly able to breathe as she ran towards the edge of the shrine, but stopped when she saw Sota standing by the house that led to the well. "You know you're know supposed to play around in there," she said firmly. "But, the cat..." he protested, looking inside. They both went in, and I had to see whether I was dreaming or not. Picking up a rock the size of my hand from the edge of the shrine, I put all my strength in my arm and threw I down on my foot.

The pain made my eyes water and I shouted out, clutching my foot. Okay, so I wasn't dreaming. But then I remembered exactly what happens when Kagome and Sota went near the well, and without thinking I rushed forward. I made it just in time to see the wooden panel on top of the well burst off, with a several arms of energy wrap around Kagome. Too shocked to fight back, she was pulled in while the cat jumped out of her arms. "Kagome!" I called, and ran forward to grab her arm and pull her back. But the arms were too strong, and rather than pulling Kagome out I was pulled in. The space around me turned into white, blue and black energy, and I gasped when I saw what had actually drawn us in. It was a woman whose upper half was a naked woman with long black hair and a total of six arms, while below the waist she was a giant insect. Mistress Centipede.

She reared her back. "_Alive. Oh to be alive once more. Already my strength returns_," she said, and I saw flesh cover the bones of her insect body until it was fully healed. She looked a Kagome. "_You have it, don't you? Give it to me_," she said, sticking out an unnaturally long tongue and licking Kagome's face. For some reason rage burned through me at the sight, and I clutched one of her arms. "Get away from her!" I yelled. Mistress Centipede glared at me as if _I _was the insect, and she said "_Begone with you. I have no business with aberrations such as yourself_." "Wh-What are you doing? Let me go!" Kagome yelled, slapping her face when a bright purple burst from it and sent the demon away, one of its arms still clutching Kagome's sleeve.

"_Wretched girl. I must have the Sacred Jewel!_" she said, falling through empty space. "The... Sacred Jewel?" Kagome repeated. She and I kept falling until the ground appeared before us, which we promptly fell unto. I looked around; except for a single arm lying behind us the demon was gone. "Am I inside the well? I think must have bumped my head or..." Kagome began, before she noticed the path of my gaze and looked at the arm. "Maybe not," she amended, and I said "It's a good thing she's gone." She looked at me. "I appreciate the hep back there, but can you tell me exactly who you are?" she asked. I thought of what to say, until I realized that the truth would probably be best. So I stood up, dusted myself off and pulled her up.

"My name is Yume Soyokaze. And you are...?" I trailed off, acting like I didn't know. "Kagome. Kagome Higurashi," she said formally, shaking my hand. Then she looked up at the top of the well and called "Hey Sota! Get Grandpa!" "I don't think he's there," I said. Kagome grabbed the vines attached to the stone side of the well and began climbing. "He probably took off. The little-" she began, but stopped when a huge glowing white butterfly flew down and fluttered around her. I grabbed the ivy and climbed next to her, and we both threw ourselves over the edge at the same time, our eyes widening when we took in the scenery. Rather than the stuffy inside of the well-house, around us was lush, green wildlife filled with plants and the twittering of birds.

Kagome and I stood next to the well, looking around. "I could be wrong but Toto, I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore," she said, and I nodded in agreement. She walked forward and I followed, and she called "Mom! Grandpa! Sota! Buyo!" Then I noticed a huge tree dominating the rest of the forest, and pointed to it. "Hey Kagome, doesn't that tree look familiar?" I asked. She looked at it and gasped, smiling. "It does! That means I'm close to home!" she said, running forward. But once we got there, we saw something that had never appeared at the Higurashi Shrine. A huge mass or roots grew from the ground and wrapped around tree, long with a person who was attached to it.

He had the appearance of a boy about my age, with long silver hair and fair skin. He wore a red kimono and hakama, and his fingers ended in sharp claws. He appeared as if he were asleep, but an arrow was sticking out of his chest. The most noticeable feature however, were the pair of dog ears on his head that replaced human ones. "Is that a... boy?" Kagome asked softly, and I nodded. Not just a boy though; a half-demon one. Inuyasha. Kagome climbed up to him. "Hey there, whatcha doing?" she asked, but stopped. "Oh, wow. Dog ears. I think I wanna... touch them," she said, abruptly grabbing his ears and rubbing them between her fingers. I rolled my eyes and folder my arms, waiting patiently for her to finish. Though, I kind of wanted to touch them too.

After about a minute Kagome stopped and sighed. "Now that that's out of my system..." she began, but then we heard a voice call "Hold it right there!" A volley of arrows fired from the woods, and I shouted as I had to duck to avoid being shot. Kagome huddled against the unconscious form of Inuyasha, and we saw that the ones who had shot at us were several men who were all wearing kimonos. "Don't even think of running!" one of them warned us as they moved forward. I was about to just that when my hands were grabbed and forced behind my back, where they were tied together with rope. The same thing happened to Kagome, and we were marched to like this back to a village. More men and woman, all with kimonos and the men wearing topknots watched us, until we reached the center and were forced upon a straw mat set in the open.

"You didn't have to tie us up, you know!" Kagome protested. They didn't listen to her, and began talking amongst themselves. "Think it's the war going on?" one asked, and another replied "Of course it is. And right in the middle of rice-planting season." "Think they're a couple of kitsunes in disguise?" a woman whispered. "No, them shape-changing foxes are a lot trickier than that," her friend said. I looked around them, and could almost hear Kagome think "Topknot, topknot, topknot, topknot, topknot. What is this, medieval Japan?" "Make way for High Priestess Kaede!" a man called, and the villagers parted too allow an elderly woman forward.

She wore a white kimono with long sleeves, a red hakama and her hair was tied back with a band, while she hunched over and walked with a long bow in her right hand. An eyepatch covered her right eye. The woman, Kaede, stopped before us and handed a villager her bow before reached into a draw and flinging handful of salt at us. "Demon, begone!" she ordered. I closed my eyes so the salt wouldn't hit them, and Kagome called "Hey, hey! We're not demons, alright?" "Are ye not? Then why were ye in the Forest of Inuyasha?" the woman, Kaede, asked. The man she handed her bow to suggested "They could be spies from another village." "In that case they would be fools. Who would invade such a poor village as ours?" she replied.

Kaede looked at me, and then at Kagome, and her eyes widened in surprise. She walked forward and grabbed Kagome's chin, working her face from side to side. "Look clever girl. Or be a half-wit?" she wondered aloud. While Kagome glared at her I did my best not to smile, and said "Look, we aren't spies or demons. We honestly just took a wrong turn... and got lost," I said. Technically it was the truth- I knew we were in the world of Inuyasha but neither of us, especially me, had any idea how we had gotten here. Kaede looked at me and then at my clothing. "Such strange garments. Tell me child, are ye from another land?" she asked. While I wanted to be honest I knew that this would get us out of these ropes, so I nodded and said "Yeah! That's the case!"

Satisfied, Kaede gestured for the villagers to removed our bindings. They did, and after a few hours we found ourselves in her hut, waiting for her to finish making dinner. When it was ready she placed it in two stone bowls and handed them to us, along with two pairs of chopsticks. "Stew?" she offered. I knew it would be rude to decline, so while I was still hungry from the food my mother had made I nodded my thanks and took it. "Finally. Real food," Kagome said in relief. The stew was fantastic; when I watched the anime I never thought Kaede was a good cook. "Bear us no ill will, child. In these troubled times no stranger may be welcomed among us without deep distrust," she informed us.

"I guess we really aren't in Tokyo anymore, are we?" Kagome commented. "Toa-Key-O?" Kaede asked, confused. "Never heard of it. Is that the land ye come from?" "Uh, yeah! So I should probably head back..." she said, but trailed when she remembered that she didn't know how. I wondered if I would be able to go back; all Kagome had to do was either fall of jump into the well. Rather than another time I came from a completely different dimension, so would the same work for me? Or was I trapped here? We sat like that for a while, until suddenly there was a deep rumble and the sound of something giant being crushed to the ground. Screams of men and women filled the air, and Kagome looked at the mat doorway. "What the-?" she said, but Kaede and I were already heading for the door.

Outside the villagers were running around in a panic, and above them Mistress Centipede stood with an entire horse held up by her teeth. She threw it down at us and called "_Give me the Sacred Jewel!_" "it's that thing!" Kagome said. I nodded, but had to roll to the side when it charged at us. "It said 'Sacred Jewel'. Bear ye it still?!" Kaede asked in amazement. "I... I don't know. I mean, I've heard about the Jewel but-" Kagome began, before the demon charged at her again. Villagers tried firing at her, but she called "_I must have it. I must!_" She spun in a corkscrew and her tail hipped around in several directions, knocking into villagers and sending them flying. "Spears, arrows, nothing works!" one of them yelled. "We must lure it to the dry well," Kaede announced.

"Dry well?" Kagome asked, and she specified "In the Forest of Inuyasha." "Which way is the forest?" she asked automatically. Before Kaede could answer she looked ahead. "Where the light's shining, right?" she said, and took off. "Kagome, wait! Come back!" I called running after her. Mistress Centipede gave chase, and Kagome called "Someone will save us, right?" I shrugged, no longer concerned with doubling back. "Who cares? just keep running?" "Grandpa, Mom, Sota! Anyone, help me!" she yelled. Far ahead of us, in the center of the forest, Inuyasha's body pulsed with life for the first time in fifty years. He flexed his hand and claws, opening amber eyes and smiling. "I smell it. The blood of the woman who kill me, along with someone else. And they're coming closer," he said.

xxx

Well, how was the first chapter? You'll find out more about Yume and why this story is titled this way soon, so stay tuned!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

Ch.2 The Sacred Jewel

Kagome ran ahead towards the forest, and I was right behind her. Unfortunately, so was Mistress Centipede. "_The Jewel, give it to me!_" she called. "I told you, I don't have it!" Kagome replied. "It still thinks you do! Keep running!" I said. We did, and just as we reached the top of the hill the demon struck. Luckily I, accidentally or not, managed to kick it in the face, and it crashed into the ground right behind us. The impact sent us both through the air, an Kagome screamed as we flew. The ground came towards us with frightening speed, and I curled into a ball as we neared impact. I landed on my side and pain flared through me, and I could tell that I would have bruises for a moment. Kagome landed on her stomach next to me, and suddenly we heard a voice say "Hello, Kikyo. Playing with bug now, are we?"

We both looked up, and saw that the unconscious Inuyasha was now awake. "Did he just talk?" Kagome muttered. "Why are you taking so long to kill it? Just do her like you did me," he said, but then frowned. "You're looking pretty dumb down there, Kikyo. The Kikyo I knew wouldn't waste her time," he told us. "That does it. Kikyo. Kikyo. That's not me because my name is-" Kagome began, but then Inuyasha looked up and said "She's here." My eyes widened and I looked up just in time to see Mistress Centipede bust through the top of the tree. I shouted and rolled to the side, while Kagome dodged as well. Suddenly two spears with ropes on the end stabbed into the demon's side, and I saw a group of the villagers. "Alright, pull!" on order, and they tugged on the rope.

"I'm saved," Kagome said in relief, but it faded when Inuyasha said "You're pathetic, Kikyo." "Listen, she is not Kikyo!" I called. He looked at me. "And you are?" he asked. I stared at him and clenched my fist, anger running through me that I manged to keep contained. Kagome climbed onto the branch and walked towards Inuyasha. "Look. For the last time, I'm not Kikyo, okay?" she said. "And I'm saying you gotta be, because if you're not then there's no way that you could smell so-" he began, but the stopped. Inuyasha took a sniff, and his expression changed to confusion. "You're not her," he announced. "I know that. My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me," Kagome said slowly. "You're right; Kikyo was cuter. Much cuter," he said, looking away.

I raised an eyebrow at that, but then suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and pulled, and I grabbed Inuyasha's foot. "Let go me!" I called. "Ow, ow, ow! _You_ two let go!" Inuyasha called, the end of his hair being pulled by Kagome. "Inuyasha has revived!" one of the villagers told Kaede. "But how?" she asked. "_Give me the Sacred Jewel!_" she yelled. "Let go!" Kagome replied. Inuyasha stopped shouting to let go of his hair long enough to look shocked. "The Sacred Jewel?" he asked. Mistress Centipede's jaw unhinged to show dagger-sharp teeth, and she plunged forward to bite into Kagome. "Stop!" she called, and flung out her hand. A blast of purple-pink light shot outward and sent Mistress Centipede back. Her other arms fell of as well, and we both fell to the ground.

The villagers and Kaede gasped at the display, and I looked at Kagome. "You did that back in the well too!" I exclaimed. "That's right. But did I do it then?" she asked, when suddenly her side started glowing. Np. Something _inside _her was shining. We were too absorbed to see the demon come back, and by then time and noticed she had bitten into Kagome's stomach and tossed her into the air. A small bout of blood shout out, and with it was perfectly spherical purple-pink jewel. The Sacred Jewel of the Four Souls. Kagome feel back onto the ground the Jewel landed in front of her, bouncing slightly before settling. "Gimme the Jewel!" Inuyasha told us, and we looked up. "Hurry!" he urged. Before Kagome could however, the insect end of the demon moved and pinned Kagome and top of Inuyasha, wrapping itself around the tree.

"Kagome! Inuyasha!" I called. Mistress Centipede hovered in front of them. "_I had heard that some half-demon spawn was seeking the jewel. So, you're the one?_" she asked. Inuyasha smirked. "Half's all I need to kick your scaly butt," he said confidently. "Listen. You talk a big game, but can you back it up?" Kagome asked. He blinked, and she repeated "Well, can you?" "_What can he do, pinned there like that_?_ You're powerless to stop me_," the demon declared, lowering down to wrap her tongue around the Jewel. Without even thinking I ran forward and delivered a swift kick the side of her head. She looked at me in surprise and I lunged forward, pulling the Jewel away and running.

Ignoring the fact that I had just pulled the Sacred Jewel out of the grasp of a demon's slimy tongue, I kept running. "_Foolish girl. Give me the Jewel!_" Mistress Centipede called. "Never!" I called, and flung my hand back at her, half-expecting to fire sacred energy like Kagome. I didn't do that, but something _did_ happen. The Jewel grew brighter and my hand glowed red, before a ball of fire the size of a softball shot out and exploded when it hit the demon's face. Mistress Centipede screeched and reared back, while I stopped and looked at my hand. Gossamer-thin trails of smoke rose into the air, but my hand itself was completely normal. "What the-?" I began, but then the demon came back and sank her teeth into my arm. She bit harder and the muscles in my arm spasmed, my hand opening and releasing the Jewel.

Mistress Centipede threw me back until I hit the tree and landed next to Kagome and Inuyasha, where her tail wrapped around me and held me tight as well. "_You may have tried, but now the Jewel is mine,_" she said, reaching out and wrapping her tongue around the Jewel again. "Don't you dare!" Inuyasha called, but by then she had already swallowed. "The demon swallowed the Jewel!" a villager declared, and another asked "What now, Priestess?" The demon's skin glowed red around the edges and her arm reattached themselves, which she braced against the ground. Her whole body shuddered for a second, before what was human of her burst off, revealing molted purple skin, a mouth full of teeth and bulging red robs for eyes. "_At last, my power is complete!_" she called.

Her tail's gripped around us tightened, and Kagome said "It's crushing me!" Unaffected, Inuyasha asked "Hey. Can you... pull out this arrow?" She looked him confusedly. "Can you pull it or not?" he asked fiercely"I... I'm not sure," she asked, reaching for it. Kaede jumped out her horse. "Nay, child! Once the arrow has been removed Inuyasha will be free to destroy us all!" she called. "Don't be stupid, you old hag! At least with me you have a chance, whereas that thing's gonna eat you!" Inuyasha yelled back. He looked down at Kagome. "And what about you. Are you ready to die yet?" he asked. "I... I don't know, but given the choice... I choose to..." she said, grabbing the air and calling "Live!" The arrow burst into bright light and disintegrated, and Kaede called "It's gone! My sister's spell vanished!"

The light faded and Inuyasha's body pulsed, his eyes closed as his power returned to him. "Inu... Inuyasha?" Kagome asked hesitantly. Inuyasha laughed evilly and opened his eyes, looking at Mistress Centipede. She screeched and tried to crush us, but golden energy blasted outwards as Inuyasha spread his arms, also breaking the roots and branches that held him to the tree. He landed on his feet and looked around smugly. Pieces of the demon's body rained around us, and Kagome looked at Inuyasha in awe. "_You wretch!_" Mistress Centipede called, and Inuyasha replied "You old hag!" His claws shined gold and he jumped forward, calling "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" he slashed forward and hit the demon straight in the mouth, cutting through skin, muscle and bone like water.

He kept going and cut through the entire demon's body, which exploded when he finished. He landed back on his feet, and Kagome said "He _is_ strong." "No kidding," I agreed. All was quiet for a second, until one of the pieces of the demon twitched. "It's still moving!" she called. "Find the glowing flesh. That be where the jewel is. It must be removed, lest the flesh of Mistress Centipede revive," Kaede said. "What?!" I called. Kagome searched quickly for the light, until she saw it and pointed. "there! That one!" she said. Kaede knelt down and pulled the jewel out, and instantly the flesh of the demon faded to dust, leaving behind only bones. She stood and raised Kagome's hands, dropping it there. "Only ye may possess the Jewel," she said. "But why was it inside my body? Why would I have a jewel wanted by demons?" Kagome asked.

There was the sound of shattering bone and Inuyasha stood before us, a broken set of bones underfoot. "Exactly. Humans can't use it, so why even bother. If you hand over the Jewel right now, I won't have to start sharpening my claws on you," he threatened. I gaped in surprise; I had already seen the episode but really? Just like that he's our enemy? Kaede stood in front of Kagome and said "Bear him no mind, child." Inuyasha's smile changed to a feral smirk. "I'm not going to go easy. Especially on someone who smells like you!" he called, jumping forward and slashing at Kagome. Both she and Kaede dodged, but Inuyasha managed to cut a few of her hair.

She looked at him. "You really tried to hit me just now, didn't you?" Kagome asked. "Did I miss? Want me to scratch your back?" he asked, flexing his hand and claws. A couple of villagers fired arrows at him, and he frowned. "Don't be foolish. You think you can get me like I did that centipede?" he asked, slashing twice. A tree on either side of them fell down, and the villagers had to move back to avoid being crushed. "Lady Kaede! Me think we may-hap chanced the centipede," he said. "Somehow I knew that it would come to this," she said, pulling out a necklace of beads. Kagome grabbed the jewel and ran, and I followed. "Inuyasha, stop!" I order, raising my hand. But no fire shot out this time, and I had to duck his claws. "Why isn't it working?" I asked, before running to catch up. I had more important things to deal with.

"Prepare yourself!' Inuyasha warned Kagome, who was nearing a bridge. "Prepare? For what?" she asked. He swiped at her once more, and it was only because she tripped that Kagome didn't end up beheaded. The jewel flew out of her hand and rolled along the bridge, stopping in the middle. Inuyasha grunted in victory and jumped down, but just he did Kaede finished the incantation. The beads glowed before firing forth, flying through the air until they rejoined and formed a necklace around Inuyasha's neck. "Now! Utter the word of subjugation!" Kaede called. "A word? Which one?" Kagome asked. "Matter's not. Your word has power to hold his spirit!" she replied. "Huh, as if she could control me!" Inuyasha said, reached for the Jewel. "Um... Um..." she began but the Jewel was rolling closer to him. His ears twitched and she called "Sit, boy!"

The necklace glowed and hauled Inuyasha down with such force that he face planted against the planks of the bridge. Kagome's vice and the sound of the impact echoed throughout the air, and I knew from just a few episodes that this was going to get used a lot. "It worked! Wish I'd said it sooner," Kagome said. Inuyasha stood back up and grabbed the beads. But when he tried to pull them off they glowed, and he couldn't remove them. "What the hell is this thing?!" he yelled. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. But even ye lack the power to remove those beads from around your neck," Kaede informed him. "We''l just see about that. I'd come up there and finish you myself if you didn't look half-dead already!" Inuyasha exclaimed. Kaede frowned and said "The word, please."

"Sit boy," Kagome said. The necklace glowed and again and pulled him down, and this time it was enough to send Inuyasha through the bridge and into the river below. "Now, let us return to the village," Kaede said, turning and walking away. We followed, and I could barely keep myself from laughing my head off.

xxx

The next morning it was still just past dawn, yet outside we could hear men working and talking as they repaired houses. We were sitting in Kaede's hut, and I sat still as my arm was being bandaged. "Ow!" I said, and Kaede said "My apologies." A similar bandage on her side, Kagome said "I feel for you. Those houses were destroyed my Mistress Centipede, right? It sounds like a lot of work." "Aye, and only just the beginning. Now that Sacred jewel had been reborn, far worse than Mistress Centipede will come to claim it. "Worse than yesterday?" Kagome asked. "And not just demons. There are humans who use the Jewel to make real their petty, grasping ambitions," Kaede informed her. "Huh. And why are you here then?" I asked, looking over Inuyasha.

He was laying on his side with his back facing us, but when I asked he looked over his shoulder. "I'm waiting for the Jewel," he said, before turning back. "With those beads around his neck his threat is diminished. That is probably the only reason that we can allow him to be so close to the Jewel," Kaede said. Kagome held up the jewel from the necklace she wore and looked at it. "But why would you want the Jewel in the first place? You're already strong. What can the Jewel give you that you don't already have?" she asked. "It is because he is only a half-demon," Kaede said. Inuyasha sat up and punched a hole in the floor angrily. "You know what? I'm tired of hearing some dried-up old hag I just met talk as if she knows me!" he said angrily.

While she walked over to the fireplace she said "So, ye don't remember? I am the younger sister of Kikyo, the woman who shot ye with her arrow. Kaede." Inuyasha blinked. "You're Kaede?" asked, thinking about the little girl who used to walk beside Kikyo. "So, you're the brat, huh?" he said. "Fifty years have past. And I have grown old," Kaede told him, turning back to the fire. "Man, if you're this old, Kikyo must be pushing a hundred," Inuyasha said, laying back on the floor. "Glad I don;t have to worry about getting old. Least know for a while." "Kikyo didn't worry either. Kikyo died," Kaede said, and his ears twitched. "It was on the same day that she bound ye to the tree." "One less thing for me worry about," was all he said.

"I wouldn't relax just yet, Inuyasha. For now I know that Kagome is the reincarnation of my sister," Kaede told him. Kagome gasped. "What?" "It is not merely because of your appearance or your powers..." she began, and we all thought about that. There was when Kagome had sent the demon away in the well, and again when she was about to try and kill her. Last was when the Jewel came out of her. "The Sacred jewel emerged from your body. That alone is proof enough," she said. We were all silent, and I looked at Kagome and Inuyasha's faces. Inuyasha was incredulous, hardly able to believe it, while Kagome was stiff with shock. "But putting that aside, there is an even stranger matter at hand," Kaede said, sitting down. "More confusing than that?" Inuyasha asked, and she nodded.

It was then that Kaede looked at me and said "I have come to the conclusion that Yume too is a half-demon."

I gasped, becoming stiff as a board while the others looked at Kaede. Her face showed no sign of humor, and yet Inuyasha burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, that's a good one you old hag! This girl, a half-demon! I haven't heard something as funny as that in a while," he said, wiping a tear from his eyes. While he kept laughing though her expression remained unchanged, and eventually Inuyasha realized that she was serious. "Oh come on! Her, half-demon? She doesn't even look the part!" he said, going from humored to annoyed. "Yeah Kaede, how can I be a half-demon?" I asked. "Really," Kagome added. She sighed. "I had a feeling that this was going to require some explanation. But I'm not going to say it twice, so listen well while I say it," she told us.

We all drew closer, and she took a deep breath before sighing. "From what I have seen, Yume in fact actually is..."

xxx

HA! I left you all hanging like that! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but stayed tuned and the next chapter will come soon!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

Ch.3 Rebirth

"From what I have seen, Yume in fact actually is a descendant of the Phoenix Demon Tribe," Kaede announced. At the mention of the name the flames of the fire pit seemed to glow brighter for a second. "The... Phoenix Demon... Tribe? What's that?" Kagome asked. "I've heard about them. They were large tribe of demons that ruled the northern mountains, but then they disappeared a long time ago," Inuyasha said, thinking. "Disappeared? But if that's the case, then how can I be a descendant of one?" I asked. "Allow me to provide a more detailed explanation. Hearing the actually story of the Phoenix Demons will help you understand more about them," Kaede said, crossing her legs and sitting down.

"We do not know as much about the Phoenix Tribe as we would like, but what we _do_ know can tell us a great deal. As Inuyasha said, the Phoenix demons were a very large clan of demons, and they made their home in the mountains that lie to the north. The Phoenix demons were unique for several reasons, but the most prominent among them was the ability to control and wield fire," Kaede said. I gasped, looking at my hand. "But wait a minute! If I can control fire, then how come I never did until that one time last night?" I asked. "I will explain that too, if you allow me to continue," Kaede said. I nodded hurriedly and she spoke again, drawing on the knowledge and lore she remembered about the Tribe. "Because of their power over fire, which could be grown and made stronger as time and practice passed by, each individual phoenix demon was strong in their own right.

"But, when gathered in great numbers together the the tribe was an almost unstoppable force, proven so when the tribe began to expand their control and dominion further outwards, moving south of the mountains. Any demons who fought against them were destroyed ruthlessly, and the plains of Japan became fields of ashes. The demons had conquered the entirety of the land, controlling the lands in the North, South, and East, but then they moved on the Western Lands, which at that time were ruled by the Dog Demon Tribe." Inuyasha's ear pricked at that, and I remembered that the great Dog Demon was his father. "The two tribes engaged in savage war that lasted for several decades, with both sides giving no mercy to the other. Then, at the final battle of the war, the Great Dog Demon defeated and killed Tenbatsu, the leader of the Phoenix Demon Tribe.

"With their leader gone the forces of the tribe quickly lost morale, and the lands they had previously conquered began to revolt. In no time almost all the the tribe was gone, and the remaining survivors fled to a place where they claimed the other demons would never find them. And so the story ends," Kaede finished, opening her eye to look at me. For a second I didn't understand, until the penny dropped and my eyes grew to the size of car lights. "And you think... the place they fled... was my world?" I asked. "That is what I believe," she confirmed. Inuyasha chuckled humorlessly. "The old hag's got a point. If the phoenix demon wanted to escape to a place where no other demons could find them, an entire other dimension would certainly fit the bill," he said.

"Hold on! Even if demons managed to make their way into my world, how I be the child of one. My mom is completely human!" I exclaimed. "What about your dad?" Kagome asked. I looked at her and my jaw unhinged, the implications setting in. "He died... before I was born," I said quietly. Kagome gasped and her eyes welled with sympathy, while Inuyasha looked away. Trying to push it aside, I said "You still haven't told me why any powers I might have only appeared when we fought Mistress Centipede. If my father was a demon, then shouldn't they have appeared long before now?" "Actually, they would not have. The reason for that is what else made the Phoenix Demon tribe so unique: Although they were demons, they were born with the bodies and powers of humans," Kaede explained.

"In order to achieve their status and powers as a demon, a member of the tribe would undergo what is known as 'The Ascendance Ritual' upon the age of adolescence, or thirteen. If your parents would have wanted you to stay as a human, then all they had to do was simply not perform the ritual when you came of age, and kept the truth of your birth a secret from you," Kaede said. For a second all was silent, and although my mind screamed at me to think it wasn't true, against my will the rest of my mind began creating counterarguments. There's no way this can be true! The evidence was set before you. Demons don't even exist! You were just pulled through time into Feudal Japan by one. How can my father have been a demon?! You never knew him in the first place.

The others were all deathly silent, seeing the internal struggle written on my face. Eventually Kaede sighed, and stood saying "If you wish for me to clear any doubts you might have, there is a way to determine if you really are a half-demon or not." I snapped my head up. "How?" I asked. "Just wait here a moment," she replied, and walked out. After a few minutes she came back with a strange-looking plant, like a lotus flower only with a purple and red petals, and she placed the tip of it in the fire. After a few second it lit, and instantly a hideous smell began filling the room. "Oh my God! What is that thing?!" Inuyasha asked, covering his face with both hands and trying not to breathe in. "That's scent is just horrible!" Kagome declared, a statement that I nodded at. The stuff smiled like rotten fruit, fetid meat and sulfur mixed into one.

Unaffected save for a slight curl of her lips, Kaede said "This is an herb known by name of Keiji. While the scent of burning it is unpleasant to humans, it is even more gruesome to the noses of demons and half-demons. As such, it is commonly used to keep such beings away from homes and temples. However, it is rumored that if anyone with demon in their blood takes an exceptionally large draft of the smoke, any concealment that they are wearing will fade and their true nature will emerge." I looked at the herb and then at the others. "Well, Yume? Do you want to find out if you're part-demon or not?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha was watching intently as well, and I made a decision. "Let me see that plant, please," I said.

Kaede nodded and handed it to me, and I hesitated for a moment before tilting my head back and breathing deeply. After about three seconds I couldn't take it anymore and threw the herb into the fire while I hacked and coughed, trying to rid the smoke from my lungs. "Oh... my... _God_... That stuff was mortifying," I wheezed, beating a fist against my chest. "Well? How do you feel, Yume?" Kagome asked. "Aside from the sensation of having lung cancer?" I asked sarcastically, heaving a final burst of smoke from my system. I sat back and looked at my hand. "But beyond that, I'm fine really. I don't look any different, and I certainly don't _feel_ any diff-"

Pain. Blinding, searing pain.

Instantly my eyes widened before snapping shut, and I fell to my side and curled into ball. "Aaargh! What's... happening... to me?!" I said. The pain was like countless white-hot needles had been stabbed into my flesh, and the heat from them grew and spread outwards. In less than a few seconds it grew to much, and I reared my head back and opened my jaws wide. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" I screamed, the sound terrified and filled with agony. "Yume!" Kagome called, and stood to run towards me. "No, you mustn't interfere!" Kaede said, holding her arm to block Kagome's path. She saw me writhing and twitching on the floor, too overwhelmed by pain to do much else. "Why not? We have to help her!" Kagome exclaimed. "We must not interfere with Yume at this time. If we do, she could be forever trapped between her human and half-demon states!" Kaede told her.

Kagome looked at me with longing, wanting to help put an end to my suffering. But I barely even heard their exchange; the pain throughout my body had changed depending on where on my body it was. My skin burned as if it had been touched with an open fire, my scalp fried like it had been tied to an electrical wire, and my hair and nails felt like they were pulling pulled out by pliers. But above all were two stretches across my back, which felt like their had been lashed on with a a leather whip. Then the pain grew from unbearable to unimaginable, and I let out one last piercing scream. "aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" I shrieked, and with the sound of tearing cloth and flesh I felt a pair of something burst from my back. The pain slowly faded and I manged to pull my sense of reality back together, opening my eyes and removing my hands from my head.

Inuyasha and the others were looking at me with shock, and I asked "What? What's wrong with me?" "Um... Yume? You kind of look..." she began, but then stopped. Kaede finished for her and pointed. "There is a metal bowl of after by the stove. It would be best if you saw for yourself," she began. I grew alarmed and ran over to the below, where I looked at my reflection on the metal surface below. The face that stared back at me was one I didn't recognize, and yet this was what Kaede had said was my half-demon self. My true self.

The structure of my face was the same as before, but there were several differences. My skin had lost much of its tan, and only a little remained to keep it from being completely pale. My hair has lengthened until it reached my waist, and changed from brown to a fiery, bright red. My eyes were no longer blue, but a smoldering orange that reminded me of embers from a bonfire. My nails had also lengthened, becoming claws that were sharp to a fine point. But even with all theses changes to my appearance, I failed to see what it was that would even give Inuyasha that kind of shell-shocked look. "Okay, so my face and skin tone look a little different. Guys, I really fail to see what's the bog problem," I said. Then Inuyasha pointed a finger that I noticed was trembling slightly, and he said "Yume? You have... um..."

I frowned in confusion and turned my head to my right, trying to see what it was that bothered him so much. But I didn't see anything... until I caught I flicker of movement at the edge of my vision. My eyes widened. No. Way. I slowly turned my head without moving my body, and the full sight of what had shocked the others came into view. I darted my head to the left and saw the same thing, and now I was the one who was shaking. Wings. I had grown a pair of wings. The two of them were large and spread outwards like the wings of angel, which now seemed like a cruel irony. The feathers were a deep, luxuriant red that reminded me of rubies, or fresh blood against pure snow. The wings shifted slightly with my movements, and upon a mental command they waved slowly.

"No..." I began, staggering back and staring ahead, horrified. I had become, I truly _was_, a half demon. Something that even other demons loathed and detested. "No" I repeated. My father was a demon, and my mother, a human, had kept that terrible secret from me. "Noooo!" I said loudly, clutching my head in my hands. Monster. Aberration. Abomination.

Demon.

I ran out of the hut, screaming "NOOOOOOO!" loud enough to shatter glass and wake the dead. I didn't care where I went, so long as I escaped this curse.

xxx

(Point of View Change: 3rd person)

After Yume ran out of the hut the others watched the mat in front of the doorway sway in the breeze, until it finally settled after her running out disturbed it. "Poor Yume..." Kagome said, her eyes filled with sadness. "I fear that revealing the truth to her may not have been the best cause," Kaede admitted. "Idiot!" Inuyasha yelled, standing up and glaring at her angrily. "Do you have any idea what being a half-demon is like? Hated and loathed by both humans and demons, it would be better to be just either one. At least then you'd be accepted. What the hell makes you think the fact that you're actually a half-demon is something anyone wants to know?!" he demanded. Before Kaede could answer he stormed out of the hut, leaving the two of them alone.

"Forgive me for asking, but why did you tell Yume that she was a half-demon?" Kagome asked. Kaede sighed. "Because I thought that she deserved to know. Knowing the truth, even if it is horrible, is better than living a lie," Kaede said. Kagome looked at her, but seeing no response to this, she sighed and sat down. "Where do you think Inuyasha went?" she asked. "I know not. Our only hope is that somehow Yume will be able to overcome this ordeal. If she doesn't, then I shudder to think of what this change will do to her," Kaede said. Outside, Inuyasha walked with an air of anger and determination that sent the other villagers running. If the fact he wasn't a half-demon didn't send them running already.

Although he didn't tell the others, Inuyasha really left to go look for Yume. Offering sympathy for someone wasn't something he did often, in fact he couldn't remember the last time he did. But when he saw the pain on Yume's face, the raw agony of her expression... it was the same pain that he had to live with since day one. And so he tried to track her scent and find her, so he could try to help her feel better. Things might never be right for her again, but at least he could somehow make her see hope. Inuyasha stopped and breathed deeply, trying to locate Yume's scent. Before he couldn't really get a whiff of it, but now that Yume's true form had been released he could smell her scent. It was odd, like someone had taken roses and gunpowder and mixed them together. Must be the Phoenix demon in her.

The trail led into the forest, and from the strength of the scent he could guess that she had only been here for about a few seconds. No surprise, with the body of a half-demon she'd be able to run for miles on end. Luckily, so could he. So Inuyasha switched from walking to dashing forward, closing his eyes to allow the trail of the scent to guide him. Along the way he wondered what he was going to say to Yume, but after nothing came he figured that it would come to him when he got there. The scent abruptly stopped and he paused, wondering where she could have gone. Then he heard a sob and turned looked up, just in time for a drop of boiling water to hit him on the forehead. "Ow!" he complained, rubbing at the spot furiously. The sobbing stopped, and he heard Yume faintly say "I... Inuyasha?"

"Yume? Where are you?" he asked, looking up into the the tree but seeing no sign of her. Then abruptly a dark shape unfurled, and Inuyasha saw the figure of Yume and her outstretched wings. She had been using them to conceal herself. She sniffled and another drop of boiling water hit him on the head, and he realized that it was her tears. "What are you doing up there? Come on down. I want to talk," he said. At that her eyes widened and she retreated farther back into the tree, her wings almost concealing her. "No! I won't go back there! I don't want anyone to see me like this..." she said, her voice trembling. "Come on, you can't stay up in that tree forever. Just come down and we can talk," he said, his usual irritated edge there but softened down.

"Why would you want to talk to me now? Until a few hours ago I was just another weak human. Now I'm so different?" she asked almost angrily. "Yes," he said bluntly. "You are. You're a half-demon." At that she gasped, and abruptly broke down into tears. Inuyasha blinked in surprise, suddenly feeling rather awkward. Guessing that it was safe to approach now, he leaped into the tree and moved until he was next to her. The wings made trying to get close a bit difficult, but he managed to get close enough to put his arm around her shoulder. Yume stiffened in surprise, and Inuyasha said "Um... there there. It's... uh... gonna be alright." Yume looked at him, and he realized that those orange eyes were glowing, like real embers.

"How can it be alright? The most basic thing I ever knew were two things: One, my name is Yume. Two, I was a human. Now one of those has been completely thrown out the window. How can things ever be alright?" she asked. He didn't know the answer; he had always known from the day he was born that he was a half-demon. Now he was presented with a situation that was completely different from what he had been presented with. And he had no idea how to fix it. Yume watched him think and looked away. "There is no hope, is there? I can never be human again," she said, looking away. There was a sizzling sound as more tears fell onto the wood of the tree they were sitting on, but at least there were no sobs anymore.

Inuyasha looked at her for a long moment, until a light bulb went off in his head, even though light bulbs didn't exist in that era beyond the one in Kagome's flashlight. "I've got it!" he said, pounding his hand with his fist. Yume looked at him in surprise. "Got what? What are you talking about?" she asked. "You know how I wanted to use the Jewel to become a full-fledged demon?" he reminder her. She nodded, and gasped when she realized what he was saying. "You're saying... that the reverse is also true? I can use it to become human?" she asked excitedly. Inuyasha nodded, but then remembered that if she did that then the Jewel would disappear. _No worries. I'll just use it and then hand it over to her_, he decided. "Yeah, it's possible. But like I said, we need the Jewel to do it," he said.

"Then what are we waiting around here for? Let's go! When we get back to the village I can ask Kagome for the Jewel, and then we can both use it to get what we want!" Yuma said, smiling happily. "Now that's what I'm talking about! Now come on, dry up those tears and let's go!" Inuyasha said, smiling as well. Yume nodded and they both stood. A single tear, this one of happiness, fell off of Yume's cheek to hit the tree of the bark.

Which then made a sudden _crack_.

They both looked down at the branch and realized what had happened. The heat and number of the tears Yume shed in the past few hours had softened the wood ever so slightly, and combine that with the weight of two half-demons standing on top of it, one of which also had a large set of wings, and the branch suddenly broke beneath the strain. "Whoa!" Inuyasha called, his quick reflexes saving him from crashing. Yume wasn't so lucky though and hit the ground feet first, the act of which spawned another loud _crack_. "Aaargh!" she yelled, and fell on her side on the ground. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. Wait, concerned? Inuyasha was showing a plethora of unusual emotions today. "My leg, I think it's broken," she said, gingerly touching and it wincing when she did.

"Dammit. Well, put your arm over my shoulder and we'll walk back to the village. It should take a few hours, and with a half-demon's accelerated healing you should be fine by the time we get back," he said, hauling her up. She nodded and placed an arm over his shoulder, and they began their trip back to the village. "Hey, Inuyasha?" she asked, and he replied "What?" Yume smiled. "Thank you." Inuyasha grunted and looked away. "Forget about it. Come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover," he said, his normal hardened exterior returning. Yume smiled wider at this and nodded, and they two kept going.

Little did they know that, by the time they made it, both Kagome and the Jewel would already be gone.

xxx

Well, this chapter turned out to be a lot more sappy than I anticipated. But you can guess what happens next- the Carrion Crow's crusade for the crystal! (or Jewel)

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

Ch.4 Discord

The trees parted and the village came into view, and I moved away from Inuyasha. "Thank you. I think I can walk now," I said, putting weight on my leg and sighing in relief when I felt no pain. "I told you, half-demons heal faster than normal humans," he said. I nodded. I hated this half-demon curse already, but I could definitely see the advantages of it. "Now, let's go get that Jewel," I said confidently, and treated to the rare sight of Inuyasha smiling. He nodded and we both ran forward, our feet barely even touching the grass in our haste to get back. But when we did we saw the villagers moving around and calling "Kagome! Kagome!" "We can't find her!" one of them said to Kaede, who was looking towards the forest. "Kaede!" I called, and hurried towards her. The villager shouted and jumped back at the sight of my wings, but I ignored him.

"Yume! Are you… feeling any better?" she asked hesitantly. I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I got some nice advice. From I-" I began, but over her shoulder I saw Inuyasha wave his arms and shake his head frantically. "From… a good guy," I finished. She looked at me questioningly, and I changed the subject. "So… why are you all looking for Kagome? Did she go somewhere?" I asked. She sighed. "I fear she must have. We have been unable to locate her anywhere," Kaede said. "Heh, why even bother? The girl was trouble than she's worth," Inuyasha said. I gasped and looked at him reproachfully, while Kaede merely turned and glanced unsurprised. "While you may certainly think that way Inuyasha, I know of one thing that Kagome had with her that you would very much want found," she told him.

Inuyasha glared at her. "And what might that be?" he asked. "The Jewel," she replied simply. Our eyes widened and we both gasped at the said time. "Kagome has the Jewel?!" I shrieked, while Inuyasha yelled "The Jewel is missing?!" "Aye and it would be in your best interest to find her, seeing as how you want the Jewel so much. It would be a shame if someone else got a hold of it," she said. Without responding he whipped around and reared his head back, breathing deeply. "What are ye doing?" Kaede asked, and he didn't reply. Then his eyes snapped open and he looked at the forest a little to the right. "I've got her scent! Come on, Yume. Let's go!" he said, dashing forward.

"Right!" I said, and did the same. But when I did my wings suddenly flapped, and I shouted as I rose a foot into the air before falling back down. "What the-?" I said, stopping. Inuyasha stopped and looked back. You haven't had the wings very long, but even then you haven't used them for much. Maybe your body wants to test them out," he suggested. I looked at the red feathers of my wings for a moment, before nodding. I had no idea in the world how to fly, even with wings, but I trusted that my new body knew how. So I tensed up before taking a deep breath and ran forward. After a few seconds my wings before flapping, and rather than fight it I leaped into the air and willed them to take me into the sky.

They did just that and flapped hugely, taking me into the air high enough that the trees were below me. I gasped, before letting my breath out in wonder. This felt… _amazing_. I could feel the wind soaring past me, the steady beat of my heart and the flap of my wings. "Wow…" I said faintly. This sensation was truly beyond words, but the words I could use to describe were… breathtaking. Liberating. Free. That was it. Above all, the act of flying made me feel free. Below I could see Inuyasha running through the trees below, and I could actually although I couldn't smell his scent, there seemed to be a sort of… red haze around him. I blinked but it didn't disappear, if anything it grew stronger. It then that I realized it- I was seeing Inuyasha's demonic aura.

The red seemed to pulse with every breath he took, and when I didn't pay attention I shouted and nearly smashed into a tree. Inuyasha looked up and a sliver of ice blue shot through, before he turned back and it was fully red again. The red must be how frustrated he was, and the blue was concern. I was surprised; Inuyasha, worried about me? Either way, we kept going forward and I could sense a collection of human auras up ahead, and I saw a stone house with horses set near it. The auras were all confused and frightened, except for one, one that I recognized from the emotion as Kagome. And there was another, one that defiantly belonged to a demon.

Inuyasha ran ahead of me and smashed straight through the wall, and suddenly a stream of men, probably bandits, ran out. Disregarding them, I flew down and came to stop, wings flapping as I landed. "Kagome! Are you alright?" I asked, walking inside. "Yeah, thanks Yume," she said. "Never mind that. Is the Jewel safe?" Inuyasha asked. "Jewel?" Kagome asked, and my eyes widened. "Oh, tell me you did not just say that!" Inuyasha said angrily. "Where is it?" I said. "Well…" she began, but then we heard a shuffling and I turned to see a huge man stand up in front of us. His face was dull and brutish and he stood eight feet tall, and when he did the scent of rotten meat billowed towards us. "What is that smell?!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

A strap of the guy's armor broke off, revealing a hole right where his heart should be. A trio of red eyes shined inside, and the head of a crow darted out. "Gross!" I said, and Inuyasha smiled grimly. "How much you want to bet that thing ate his living heart out and made itself a bloody nest?" he asked. "You mean he was dead the whole time?" Kagome said. "Carrion Crows usually don't fight when there're dead bodies around. They're not so tough…" he said, before jumping forward and plunging his hand in the hole. "But they're hella nasty!" he yelled. The crow darted back and out of the other side of the body, which fell to the ground and turned into a pile of bones. The Crow flew out the window and Inuyasha made no move to go after it. "Aren't you going to kill it?" I asked.

He scoffed. "Sorry if you haven't noticed, but this world's full of demons. I can't waste my time going after all of them," he said. Kagome looked like she was about to protest, but he had already walked towards the window. He climbed up and looked out, and we did the same. "Now, where did you put the Jewel- Ah!" Inuyasha exclaimed. I gasped too; the Crow had the jewel in its beak! "After it!" I called. "I know that!" he said angrily, and ran back out the hole he made. We followed and Inuyasha crouched down, his hand behind him. "Get on!" he said. Kagome blinked in surprise but did so. Once she was set Inuyasha leaped high enough into the air that he was actually gliding, and I flew alongside him. "What are you waiting for? Shoot it!" he told Kagome. "Are you kidding? I've never fired an arrow in my life!" she complained.

"The Crow survives by eating human flesh. Just think of what it'll do once it swallows the jewel. As if it heard him, the Crow did just that. "Hey!" I called angrily. "Quit arguing and kill the damn thing!" "Kikyo was a master archer. Take it in one shot!" he said. "I keep telling you: I'm not Kikyo!" Kagome reminded him. Despite that she pulled the arrow back, and I watched her make a mental prayer before she fired. The air sailed straight and true... for two seconds. Then it fell back and spun to the ground. Inuyasha was so shocked that he fell back onto the ground. "I thought you said that she was a master!" Kagome said. "She was; it's you that's the klutz!" he replied. "Enough already!" I yelled from above. They both looked at me in surprise, and I said "We have to get that thing _before_ it kills someone. Come on!"

They looked at each other, before Inuyasha jumped back into the air. The Crow was growing in size thanks to the Jewel's power, and Inuyasha said "There. Now it should be simple. Hit it!" he ordered. Kagome aimed and fired... and she still failed to hit it. Inuyasha gritted his teeth in frustration and jumped down, letting Kagome off. "Ow!" she said, and he turned to look at her. "I don't care what anyone says. You are not Kikyo, you got that?" he declared, before jumping off. I sighed; those two are like children, and followed the Crow. It was heading towards the village when I got a sudden idea. Kaede had said that Phoenix demons can control fire, right? I looked down at my hand and concentrated, and suddenly a ball of flame burst into life in my palm. "Awesome!" I said, before looking ahead at the demon.

I stopped in midair and pulled my arm back, throwing the fireball like a regular baseball. Luckily my aim was a little better than Kagome's, and when it hit the Crow the fireball exploded. It screeched as it caught fire and dived down, splashing straight into the river before rising out, its feathers slightly burnt. It kept flying towards the village, and suddenly it dived down and caught a little boy in its talons. "Mother!" he called, and I gasped. "Hold on!" I said, and flew forward. Inuyasha got ahead of me and said "Hunting for your next meal already, huh? You're not getting away!" He flew forward and used Iron Reaver Soul Stealer, slashing the bird into pieces. The boy fell into the river and began flailing around, unable to swim.

"I'm coming!" Kagome said, and she took off her socks and shoes before diving in. I was about to follow when my senses screamed in alarm, and I reared back. Confused, I dived into the water and my body began going haywire, my heart pumping wildly and my arm trying to claw to the surface without my orders. My body swam up to the shore despite my orders not to, and only when I made onto land did I regain control. "_Guess Phoenix demons don't like water_," I thought. Kagome made it back and gave the kid to his family, while the pieces of the Crow reassembled and flew off. "It's getting away!" Inuyasha yelled. "How can I hit it from up there?" she wondered. I was about to try to fly back when my wings didn't move, weighed down by the water. Another reason not to swim now. Then the kid began shouting, and I saw that the foot that had held him was still attached, tugging on his shoulder.

Kagome's eyes brightened and she said "That's it!" before walking to one of the men. "Can I borrow your bow?" she asked. "Uh... sure," he replied, and handed it to her. I could hear Inuyasha say "My butt she's gonna hit it." Kagome aimed her arrow with the foot attached, and I remembered what was about to happen. She was going to shatter the Jewel; my only hope of becoming human! "Wait! Kagome, don't!" I called, but it was too late. She had already fired. The arrow didn't falter and kept going, hitting the Crow and causing it to blast apart. A bright pink-purple light shined forth, and I could see the Jewel fracture and crack, before breaking. The light flashed brighter and streamers began shooting outward in every direction, and I knew that they were shards of the Jewel. "Lady Kaede! Look at the sky!" one of the villagers called. "Oh, aye. And I like not the looks of it," she said.

A while later night had fallen, and Kagome and Inuyasha were still looking for the Jewel while I followed. "You're sure that it fell around here?" Inuyasha asked. "I... I think so. But I wonder what that light was," Kagome said. There was a rustle and the head of the Crow suddenly shot out of the bushes, but I threw another fireball and it fell to the ground, shrieking until it was a pile of ashes. "Good riddance," I muttered. A glowing shard fell to the ground, and Kagome said "Oh man. I hope that's not what I think it is!" "What?" Inuyasha asked. She picked it up and said "It looks like... a shard of the Jewel." I sighed and covered my ears, but even then I could hear Inuyasha as plain as day.

"_Wh... What did you SAAAAYYYY?!_"

xxx

The next morning I found myself sitting by the pond that Kagome was bathing in, while Kaede was putting her clothes over the fire. I had gotten a new set of clothes, my previous ones having been soaked and covered with my blood from when Mistress Centipede had bitten my shoulder. I was dressed in an outfit similar to a priestess', only while the kimono was still white the hakama pants, rather than red, were black. I had let my fiery hair out so that it fell to my waist, and my wings were folded against my back from holes that had been cut for them. "You got to be kidding! I didn't even think that there was a time before hot baths!" Kagome complained. Kaede tried to convince her to get out and she refused, and I tuned the conversation out in favor of the one from last night.

"What did you do to it?!" Inuyasha said for the sixth time in counting. "Stop barking, Inuyasha!" Kaede scolded. "Leave it to her to wind of breaking it!" he said bitingly. "Technically it wasn't Kagome, but the foot that she tied to her arrow," I reminded him. "You too, Yume? Whose side are you on?!" he demanded. "Whatever side gets the two of you to word together," I answered. He looked at me like I had just asked him to eat a plate full of worms, and Kaede said "The Jewel has not been scattered into many pieces scattered throughout the land. One hundred, one thousand, who knows? All it will take it just one in the wrong hands to bring disaster." The flames of the fire flickered at that, although in reality it was just me testing my control over it.

"I'm so sorry," Kagome said, and looked down. Kaede looked at the three of us and said "Kagome, Inuyasha, Yume, only by working together will the three of ye be able to recover the shards of the Jewel." Kagome gasped, and Inuyasha smirked. "You won't catching me complaining. I'm one of the 'wrong hands' you were talking about!" he said. Kaede smirked back, one that wiped off the one on Inuyasha's face. "Oh aye, I know that too well. That is why I want Yume to go with the two of you. That way you can be kept in check," she said.

I opened my eyes and came back to the present, although I had to stifle a laughter at the memory. The expression on Inuyasha's face when she had said that was priceless. Kagome swam back up to the surface and began walking to the edge, when suddenly she looked up to see Inuyasha above her. He blinked twice and the two of them were silent for a moment, until Kagome shrieked loud enough for Kaede to hear. "Sit boy!" she said, and the Beads of Subjugation glowed before hauling Inuyasha down the hill until he landed face-first behind us. "Thee alright, Inuyasha?" He sat up and grabbed the beads. "Oh man, I forgot about this stupid necklace!" he said.

"It serves you right for spying on me, you Peeping Tom!" Kagome said, getting dressed behind a set of bushes. He looked at her incredulously before looking away. "Shows what you know! The real reason I came here was-" he began, before Kaede said "Ye really came to steal this shard, correct?" Inuyasha stopped talking and crossed his arms and legs. "Think you're so smart, you old hag," he muttered. "Be careful, Inuyasha. I'm in charge of 'keeping you in check' now, remember?" I said. "Huh, and just hat exactly can you do to hurt me?" he asked. I smiled and moved my hand into sleeve, focusing my powers for a few second before I threw a red-hot stone the size of an egg at him. He didn't see that it was hot until he caught it, and shouted when his palms were burnt. He tossed the rock away and it landed in the water, cooling off and letting out a hiss of steam.

"What the hell was that?" he asked. "My practice target," I said, picking the stone back up out of the water. "According to Kaede, some Phoenix demons had such control over their powers that they could pick up rocks and melt them in their hands. This one here will be my practice stone for strengthening and focusing my powers until I can do just that," I said, placing the stone in my pocket. "Inuyasha, ye forget that only yon girl can find those shards. And until Yuma can master her powers, only ye Inuyasha have strength enough to take them back one found," Kaede said. "I'm still here, aren't I? I can be around Yume; she's not half bad. But I'll put up with _anything_ for the Jewel!" he declared. I blinked in surprise and Kagome stood in front of him. "You really do hate me, don't you?" she asked.

Inuyasha's breath caught, and I knew what he was thinking. In that outfit, Kagome looked a lot like Kikyo. She turned away and grabbed her clothes, flinging water out of them before placing them over the fire to dry. Inuyasha was glaring at Kagome and growling menacingly, and Kaede asked "And what ails ye now?" He didn't answer and kept staring at Kagome, who stared right back. Luckily the tension was broken by a woman, who walked from behind the bushes and asked "Lady Kaede?" Kaede grunted and stood, walking towards her. "It's my daughter," she said, and the two of them began talking. A few minutes later she said "Of course. Lead the way." Then she turned back to us. "I'll be gone for a while now. Try not to fight," she said, and walked off.

The three of us were silently for a second, until Inuyasha looked at Kagome and said "Hey." "What?" she asked, and he replied "Get undressed." Without saying anything Kagome picked up a boulder the size of a pot and smashed against his head. "Ow! That... hurt!" he said, holding his head while a large bump appeared. "You're such a pig," Kagome said, disgusted. "I didn't say 'get naked' stupid! I just can't stand seeing you in those clothes!" he said angrily. "Why? Cause I look like Kikyo?" Kagome asked. He stopped before turning his head to the side. "That's got nothing to do with it," he said defiantly. I groaned at the immaturity of the act, and Kagome said "Look, I don;t want to do this either, okay? But we have to work together!"

Inuyasha looked sideways at her. "_I _ain't gotta do nothin'! It;s you that needs me!" he said. "Oh, I get it. So you don;t care of I leave?" Kagome asked. She began picking up her clothes and Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he asked "What are you doing?" "What do you care? I'm going home," Kagome declared, before walking off. "Goodbye, Inuyasha," she said. "What are you-?" he began. "It's not 'you'. My name is Kagome," she interrupted. "Wait, stupid!" he called, and she said "It's not stupid either." "Would you just hear me out?!" he demanded. "Why? So you can try to stop me?" she said, looking back. "No, so you can give me your Jewel shard," he told her. "Oh, this?" she said, holding up the bag it was in.

I face-palmed myself and began to pull the stone out of my pocket again, but was spared the need when Kagome said "Sit boy." Inuyasha smashed back into ground, and as Kagome walked away he said "You..." "It's Kagome," she replied. I sighed and put the stone back. "Inuyasha, you really need to work on your sense of subtlety and tact," I said, watching Kagome walk off.

xxx

The Jewel has been shattered, and the adventure had begun! (Kind of) But Yura of the Hair won't make things easy, so stayed tuned for more!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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Hey! It's me, the famous (or not so famous) Deiru Tamashi! Now that I have the time, I would like to reply to a few of my reviews.

PrincessAnime08 and Akita91, thank you for the kind words. I hope this chapter makes the wait worth it.

Debanj halder23, herein thee shall find some of the specialness about Yume ye questioned about.

1blackcat3, I am actually considering giving Yume a love interest, but I'm not sure about who I want it to be (the Inuyasha triangle is going to be complicated enough, and I don't want to give Yume away to that lecherous Miroku). If you have any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

And with that, here is the next chapter!

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Ch.5 Yura of the Demon-Hair

After Kagome had left I wondered whether I should go after her, or stay here with Inuyasha. That was, until remembered exactly what had caused the daughter of that villager to collapse. My eyes widened and I stood, yelling "Oh, no!" "What?" Inuyasha asked curiously. "We've got trouble coming. Big trouble!" I said, breaking into a dash the way Kagome had gone. "What is it? A demon?" he called after me. "Yes, and a bad one too! Get to the village and find Kaede, she'll be in danger!" I said, before continuing my dash. True enough I entered the tress and was almost knocked to the ground when I ran into something. For a second I couldn't see it, until I noticed gossamer threads of black crisscrossing in the air in front of me. I realized what was going on; they were Yura's hairs, and although I couldn't see the hairs themselves I _could_ see the demonic power they were controlled by.

And that meant I was getting close. I allowed my half-demons power to rush forth as I spread my wings, and I called "Take this!" before slashing through the hairs with my claws. I continued making for the Bone-Eater's Well, cutting down any hairs that got in my way. I arrived just in time to see Kagome being hit with hairs like whips, and I looked up to see Yura standing above. She had short dark green hair, red eyes and a very, err, endowed figure, and she wore only a black kimono that reached her thighs, a black choker around her neck and black fingerless gloves that reached her elbows. "Kagome!" I called, and ran forward to swipe at the hairs. "Ooo, another girl to play with? How exciting. But first, I'll be taking that!" Yura said. She pulled the hairs back and one of them wrapped around the punch holding the Jewel Shard.

Yura pulled it out and gasped. "You naughty, naughty girl! You shattered the Jewel!" he said, looking at the two of us. "Tell me where the rest is, or I shall be cross," she said. "F that!" I called, throwing a fireball at her. She jumped and dodged it, landing back down and the hair and twitching one of her fingers. A handful of hairs wrapped around my ankle and pulled, making me shout as I was fell to the ground. "Give that back and let Yuma go!" Kagome ordered. "Answer the question: Where is the rest?" Yura replied. "I… I don't know," she admitted. I growled and placed my hands against the hair around my ankle, concentrating all of my anger-laced power into my hands. They glowed red and the hair suddenly caught fire, burning away and allowing me to stand.

"Oh, could it be? Are you perhaps a member of the fabled Phoenix Demon tribe?" Yura asked, looking at me with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "What's it to you?" I said angrily. "I thought you looked strange, what with that gorgeous red hair and all. I must have it for myself," Yura said, already smiling at the thought. I grimaced in disgust, but she had already turned her head to look at Kagome. "If you don't know where the rest of the Jewel is…" she said, a katana rising beside her. She pulled it out and leaped down, finishing "I might as well finish you off now!" I ran forward to stop her, but another pair of hairs wrapped around my ankles and pulled me off my feet again. "No!" I said. Kagome's eyes widened in fear as Yura soared closer and she fell over the edge of the well when she swung.

"No use escaping!" Yura said, throwing her sword down. But there was no sound of stabbing, and she landed with a leg on either edge of the well. With a command the sword rose back to her, the blade completely clean of blood. "Well that was the strange. Come to think of it, so was that girl," she pondered. I grabbed the hairs around my ankles and burned through them again, before jumping into the air and taking flight. "You can't escape either!" Yura called after me, and sent a torrent of hair at me. I flipped over so I was facing it and threw a pair of fireballs, both of which exploded and set the hair aflame. Yura didn't send anymore at me, and I flew towards the village.

"Have to find Inuyasha. We need to go get Kagome," I said to myself. I found him standing in the middle of the village square, kicking and punching at any of the village woman that came close. But they movements were strange as if they were puppets being pulled by strings. Which, technically, they were. "Inuyasha!" I called, landing down next to him. "Yume! You know what's going on with them?" he asked, ducking a butcher knife that was aimed for his neck. "Yes, I do. They're being-" I began, before we heard Kaede weakly call "Inuyasha! Yume!" We turned to see her crawling towards us, a large bloody gash on her right shoulder. "Don't hurt them!" she implored. "Kaede!" I said, jumping out of the middle of the girls and landing next to her.

Inuyasha did the same and knelt down. "What happened to you? You look awful," he said. Despite the situation, she looked up at him and said "Have ye no kindness?" The girls approached us, their weapons raised, and Inuyasha said "Look, old hag. It's them or us, and I choose us!" "They're being controlled! We just need to find the one pulling their strings and they'll go down," I told him. "Kagome. Where's Kagome?" Kaede asked. "She went back home. It's no problem, we don't need her," Inuyasha said. "That's the thing, we do need her. These girls are being pulled by demonic-powered hairs, and only Kagome can see them. Without her, we can't find who's causing all this," I explained to him.

"What?!" he said, looking back me. The girls moved at that very moment, and I had to land a few light blows to their stomachs and chest as I knocked them. They fell back and Inuyasha said "Give me a break!" "Don't hurt them!" Kaede repeated. "Your heart bleeds in more ways than one, old woman. But if you plan on seeing tomorrow, we gotta do something. The girls rushed at us again and I moved behind the girls, grasping the hairs holding a few aloft and burning them. They fell to the ground, but more remained. "The hair, Inuyasha. Find ye the hair! And when you do the spell will be broken!" Kaede told him. "Hair? What hair?" he asked, swinging at empty space.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" I said, looking closely at the trails of aura and following them to a spot that led into the forest. "Nice try, Yura!" I called, and threw another fireball in the direction one of the hairs wrapped around a block of wood and raised it in that direction, blocking my attack as the wood went up in flames. All of the girls turned their attention to Inuyasha, and my eyes widened. "Look out!" I called, and they spun around him until Inuyasha was completely tied up in hair. He was pulled against a tree, and he smiled, though somewhat angrily. "You know, whoever's doing this must not be too smart. Because even all tangled up, all I have to do is pull and I can get the person on the other end," Inuyasha said.

But when he tried to pull on the hair they slackened for a moment before tightening, sending a shockwave across them that sent Inuyasha smashing back into a tree. I couldn't take anymore and rushed forward, when suddenly my desire to help and all my rage cause something. My vision went a bright red, and an image flashed before me. Fire raining down from volcanic skies, lava flowing and consuming all as pillars of flam erupted from the ground. My sight returned to what was in front of me and I could feel my power over fire awaken. This time it was different though, slower and far more powerful. Without even thinking I turned to the direction that the hairs came from, and all of that strange power began shifting down into my right arm.

"Yura. I do believe… that it is time for you to burn!" I said, before dropping to one knee and plunging my right hand into the ground. The ground dried and cracked apart, showing lava that had appeared beneath, and suddenly the lava raced forward. It punched aside stones, roots and dirt as it burrowed into the forest straight for Yura. The hairs let go of Inuyasha and all the girls and raced back into the forest, and I could just make out the figure of Yura leaping away over the trees before a pillar of flames shot into the sky from within the trees. It rose higher, higher, until it finally reached the clouds before thinning out. All the girls had fallen to the ground after the hairs released them, and Inuyasha rubbed his neck from when the hairs had nearly suffocated him.

"Yume, what kind of power was that? That was on a whole different level than the strength you've shown before," he asked. I shook my head and looked at my hands, which were no longer glowing or filled with that unusual power. The power had been enormous, and felt ancient, almost as if it had belonged to something old, powerful, and certainly not me. But if that power wasn't mine, then whose was it? "Come on, let's go," Inuyasha said, and I saw that he had lifted Kaede onto his back. I nodded and spread my wings, running up and jumping into the air alongside him. "Be careful, Inuyasha, Yume! The hair…" Kaede tried to warn us. But when we came in contact they broke easily, and I barely even registered the feeling of them.

Inuyasha didn't feel it at all and said "You say something, old woman?" "Never ye mind," he said, and I laughed quietly. Later that night I was sitting down on the ground in the forest while Inuyasha was kneeling next to Kaede. I kept staring at my hand, trying to get that power I had felt earlier to emerge. But nothing ever happened, as if they had never existed in the first place. But those powers had existed. I had plunged my hand into the ground, created a stream of lava that traveled underground, and when that lava had reached the intended target it erupted in a pillar of fire high enough to reach the lower stratosphere. And that power hadn't even felt like my own. "Then where did it come from?" I muttered to myself.

"So you can see this hair? Can you tell where it's coming from?" Inuyasha asked Kaede. "Don't be ridiculous. Even if I could tell you, in this condition…" she said, trailing off. "Ye must find Kagome." "Wait, she can see them too?" he asked. I nodded. "If we waited until daybreak, I could tell the difference between their aura and the darkness of night, but by then too many people could be killed. We need Kagome to lead the way," I said. "Indeed. For you to win, Kagome is necessary…" Kaede said, before she groaned in pain and passed out. "Kaede!" I said, jumping up and running over to kneel next to her. Inuyasha stared at her for a moment before standing, and he walked over and began clawing at the ground.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Digging a grave," he replied simply. I blinked in surprise; I knew that he had done it in the storyline, but still. The simple fact Inuyasha was doing something this kind so early in the story was surprising to say the least. I watched him for a few hours before deciding to help, and with my assistance the grave was finished in half the time we guessed we needed to take. Once we were done Inuyasha dusted his hands off below lifting Kaede up. "Well, all things considered old woman, it's the least I can do," he said, lying her down and beginning to bury her. Kaede groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "I am resting, not dead," she said.

"Then think of it as a hiding place. I'll even come back and dig you up. If I remember," Inuyasha replied. "Do ye promise? Ye won't forget?" Kaede asked. When he didn't reply I did. "Don't worry Kaede, if he doesn't remember then I will," I promised. She smiled and said "Thank you, Yume," before lying back and closing her yes to sleep. "Okay, have you got any idea where Kagome actually is?" Inuyasha asked. I nodded and spread my wings, saying "Follow me." He nodded and I took off, flying through the air and making my way through the sky. I had thought that Inuyasha's aura was red because of his constant frustration, but now I knew that it was just that color anyway. And now I could see the faint trail of Kagome's aura, its strength allowing it to remain despite her having been gone for several hours.

The color of Kagome's aura was, as cliché as it sounded, a vibrant bright pink. And thus easy to follow straight to the Bone-Eater's Well. Inuyasha dropped down and sniffed the ground, while I landed next to the well. "That's her alright, I'd know her scent anywhere," he said. I noticed a pile of clothes beside the well, and on closer inspection I realized that it was Kagome's school uniform. "Why would she leave her clothes behind?" Inuyasha wondered. "She fell back into the well after Yura attacked her, if we go through she'll be on the other side," I said, nodding at the well. "Then let's get her!" he said, and I nodded. We both jumped through, and the Bone-Eater's well carried us five-hundred years into the future.

xxx

Inuyasha and I were surrounded by blue and white light, demonic energy swirling around us as the well did its work. When it faded we were still inside the well, only when I looked up a block of wood covered in sutras greeted me. "What the hell? We're in the same exact place!" Inuyasha said angrily, stomping a foot against the dirt. "Don't be too sure about that," I said, jumping up punching straight through the wood with my half-demon strength. Inuyasha followed and I slid the doors of the small building open, walking out into the main area of the Higurashi Shrine. It looked exactly like it did in the anime, and the Sacred Tree could be still seen standing despite the passage of time. Lights were on in Kagome's house, and we walked in that direction.

I raised my hand to knock on the door when Inuyasha shut opened it outright, and my eyes widened. "Inuyasha, you can't just barge in! That's trespassing!" I protested. "I don't care what it is, we need that girl if we're going to find Yura!" he said, walking forward. I sighed and followed, wondering how Kagome's family would react to the sight of my wings. Just as I thought that though, they burst into flames and vanished, disappearing painlessly. I blinked. "Ookay," I said, continuing towards where Kagome's voice could be heard. "All right! Time to dig in and-" she began, before we both slid the door to the dining room open. There was silence all around, and after a few seconds Kagome said "I-Inuyasha? Yume?"

"Idiot! Who told you that you could go home?" Inuyasha said angrily. "But, how did you…?" she questioned. "We came here through the well. How else?" I said. Kagome looked at me in confusion, and her grandfather, and old man in the outfit of priest with a silver topknot, stood. "You lie! I made those spirits wards myself!" he said. "Yeah… Hate to break it to you, old man, but they don't work," Inuyasha said, holding one of them up. "At all," I added, holding one up myself. While Kagome's grandfather was holding his head in his eyes and sending up showers of tears, Sota looking at him with a deadpan look, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's arm. "Come on, we're going back!" he said, pulling her towards the door.

"No! And you can't make me!" Kagome yelled, pulling her arm away. I was not in the mood to deal with this, and so I grabbed her wrist and looked at her right in the eye. "Kagome, neither of us have the time or the inclination to deal with any reluctance you may have right now. We need your help, and if needed we _will_ make you with us!" I said, my eyes glowing slightly from my irritation. I had begun to pull her towards the door when Kagome's mom stood, calling "Hold it right there!" Inuyasha scoffed and looked back. "And why should we?" he asked, but then she stepped in front of him and grabbed his ears. "Your ears are they real?" she asked, tweaking them. "Wow, me next!" Sota said.

"Mom, that's actually not cool. Though I did it too, but…" Kagome said. But then she and I both gasped, seeing a gossamer thread of something on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Inuyasha, what's that?" she asked, and he looked at his shoulder. "What's what?" he said. "You have something on your shoulder," Kagome told him, picking it off. But then it suddenly tightened around her hand, cutting into her skin hard enough for her to bleed. "Kagome!" Kagome's mother said, and her grandfather said "You're bleeding!" I gasped, against the paleness of Kagome's skin, the aura was plainly visible. It was one of Yura's hairs. "Oh, crap!" I yelled, turning around and running out of the room.

"Yume! What's wrong?" Kagome called, but I ignored her. After a minute of talking she realized what I had, and both she and Inuyasha followed. I flung open the doors to the well and was greeted by the sight of hundreds of threads of aura all coming out of the well. Although I still couldn't actually them the hairs themselves, and knew they were there. And lots of them. Kagome ran besides me and gasped. "Hair! Lots of it!" she said. Leaning against the doorway, Inuyasha said "The old crone was right. You do have the sight." Kagome glared at the both of us. "It followed the two of you here!" she said angrily. "Kagome!" her mother called and Kagome said "Don't come in!" She closed the door shut, and her relatives pounded on it for her to open it.

"Oh for crying out loud!" I said, and searched the mass of them to find that single thread that was attached to the inside of the well itself. I found it and walked forward, knocking aside any hairs that got in my way and cut that strand with my claws. Instantly the entire cluster of them fell to the ground and dissolved into dust, which even then disintegrated into oblivion. "What- But- How did you-" Kagome stuttered. "Know that would happen? It's a long story, one that I may tell someday, but not now. There's more of that stuff and the other side, and if we don't band together and stop Yura then more people will get hurt," I said. Kagome looked at me fearfully, but then her expression became determined and she nodded.

Suddenly a red cloth fell over her, and we looked to see that Inuyasha had handed her his kimono. "Here. It's made from the fur of the Fire Rat. You'll have some protection at least," he said. I smiled, glad that Inuyasha was showing some kindness, and said "Okay, let's go get Yura." They both nodded, and as one we all jumped back into the Bone-Eater's Well.

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The stage has been set, and the battle against Yura is soon to come! Will our heroes be able to work together and defeat her? Will Yume discover the secrets of her strange powers? And what about the things yet to come, such as an encounter with one silver-haired demon lord? All to come, and soon!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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Another chapter has come, but before I do allow me some replies.

PrincessAnime08: It was, wasn't it?

Elfen Child: You would actually be surprised. Some of my best stories got pretty bad flames in the beginning. Glad to see that hasn't happened to this one yet.

And without further ado, the next chapter is come!

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Ch.6 A Hairy Situation

As the three of us climbed out of the well, Inuyasha said "So you're saying that what Yura really wants is just us?" "Well yeah. I mean, why would she send her hair after us if she's already got my shard of the Jewel?" Kagome asked. "You're- How did that happen?!" he demanded. I groaned and face-palmed myself; the two of them were children with each other. "Can we worry about that after we kill her?" I thought aloud, but then Kagome gasped. "There are some silvery strands that way! If we follow them, they should lead us straight to Yura!" she said, pointing. Inuyasha grunted and let her onto his back, while my wings reappeared in burst of flames. We both moved in the direction and I saw a bonfire, and against the light I was able to see strands of hair.

"A fire," Inuyasha said, but when we got close that wasn't all we saw. There were bodies of several men around it, and all their heads were missing. "Hey, these are guys from the village," Inuyasha said. "Yeah, but where are their heads?" I wondered, even though I knew the answer. We turned around and saw that Kagome was on all fours, and Inuyasha's eye furrowed in frustration. "What is it now? I better not hear you say that you're scared, or that you want to go home," he said. Kagome stood and looked at him with a surprisingly determined expression, a bow and quiver in hand. "I thought I might use these," she said. I smiled at the surprised expression in Inuyasha's face, but he shrugged and let her back on.

With Kagome's directions we kept following the strands, and I said "Did you learn anything on how to shoot that while you were in your era?" "No really, but I just need to practice!" she said confidently. "Practice? Don't you mean 'learn '?" Inuyasha remarked. "I can do it. Just watch!" she replied. While he scoffed on the outside, I could see that inside he was actually considering it a possibility. I knew that Kagome could do it, but the question was whether my skills would be good enough to help. Especially if those strange abilities that I had shown before reappeared. But then I heard the sound of something tightening, and the tree the two of them were standing on suddenly fell to the ground.

"Hey!" Kagome said, before looking up and gasping. "They're here!" she called. I nodded and threw a fireball at a mass of darkness ahead, which promptly caught fire and fell to the ground. I ducked and weaved through the air to avoid the hairs. "On the left! Right!" Kagome said to Inuyasha, and he dodged to avoid being caught. "You'll need to help!" she said, and he stopped to look at her. "Me? I thought that was your job! You're really not good for much are you?" he asked. I shouted in ager and grabbed a lock of hair in my hand, setting in alight and throwing it into the rest. "Forget about that and let's focus on staying alive!" I yelled. "They're coming! On the left! Behind!" Kagome said, and Inuyasha called "Give me a break!"

Then a number of them wrapped around his wrist and pulled Inuyasha into the air, while Kagome fell to the ground. "Inuyasha!" she and I both called, when suddenly a number of them grabbed my arm and pulled me up a few feet away from them. I tried to grab them, but the hairs had wrapped just far enough up my arm that I couldn't reach. More wrapped around my other arm and ankles, and the base of my wings. I struggled to break free before I noticed a huge black spherical shape right in front of me. A ball of hair. Yura's hiding place. Yura herself vaulted up from below and landed and a few hairs, using them as tightropes while more strands were attached to her fingers.

"Oh my, look at little doggie I caught. You must be Inuyasha," she said. "And you must be Yura of the Hair. How'd you know my name?" he asked, not pleased at being caught at all. "Let's just say a little birdie told me. Everyone's saying that the half-demon Inuyasha is playing fetch with some reincarnated shrine maiden," Yura said. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Me? With that half-wit human? Nothing doin'!" he said angrily. "Oh? You're both half-wits to me, and that girl too. Shattering the Jewel like this," she replied, pulling the bag holding the Jewel Shard out. My eyes widened at being called a half-wit and I called "Oh yeah?!" My hands burst into flame and, using a technique I had developed, I focused it until there were ten smaller orbs at my fingertips.

I flung my hand out and they fired at Yura, who waved her hand and created a wall of hair. Each one created a small explosion on impact and the wall, slightly burnt, broke apart. "My, you have just as much a fiery spirit as your hair. I guess I'll just have to deal with all three of you," she said. Inuyasha looked at her. "Deal with me? Don't make me laugh!" he yelled, breaking one of the binding around his arm and swing at her. She moved away and behind him, examining his hair. "Such pretty hair, but you obviously haven't taken good care of it. Look at the split ends," she said. Inuyasha tried to elbow her and she fell back. Yura dropped through the air, until she landed on another set of hairs and sprung back up.

Halfway up she unsheathed her sword, and slashed Inuyasha across the chest. He shouted in pain as a small amount of blood sprayed into the air, and Kagome called "Inuyasha!"Yura landed back in front of Inuyasha, only a few feet away. She chuckled and licked the blood off of her sword, saying "I'm going to cut you into little pieces." "My ass you will!" I called, and pulled with all my strength until the hairs around my right arm snapped. I threw another plain fireball followed by five smaller ones, and Yura darted to the side to avoid them. "You should learn to stay still!" she said irritably, and more hair wrapped around my wrist. Now that I was again trapped she smiled, and moved forward to swing at Inuyasha.

Just as she did however, an arrow seemingly fired from nowhere and she had to jump back to avoid being hit. We all looked to see where it had come from, and saw Kagome kneeling on the ground with another arrow aimed. "Let them down! Or I promise this time I won't miss!" she called, even though I knew that the threat was mostly empty. Yura didn't know that though, and said "Oh, look at her trying to save you, Inuyasha! You two must be so close!" "You idiot! Stay away!" Inuyasha said. Before she could answer Yura held up her sword. "Of course, her hair isn't as pretty as either of yours, but then again… waste not, want not," she said. "Not as pretty? What do you know? You come from a world where they don't even have shampoo!" Kagome said, and fired.

Rather than shoot towards her though, the arrow flew at Inuyasha. He shouted and ducked, looking back at Kagome and yelling "Would you watch where you're aiming that thing, please?!" Before I could make a comment the arrow sailed at me, and I shouted as I had to duck as well. The arrow hit the ball of hair near the bottom, and a bright pink-white light spread outwards. It faded after a few seconds, and the hair itself began to unravel. "Oh no! Looking what you've done!" Yura said, horrified. Within the hair I could see numerous skulls, including ones with the face still attached. "The guys from the village," Inuyasha said, and I realized that it was indeed them. "Oh? Your will soon join them. And that silver hair will be mine," she said, looking at him. "But first, that woman over there needs to die!"

She jumped up and swung her comb, and flames raced down them and hit Kagome. "How enough for you? You'll feel the heat right down to your bones," Yura said softly. "Kagome!" I called, and I instantly forgot about Yura and Inuyasha. While the two of them began talking and resumed fighting, I struggled to break free of the hairs holding me, but their grip was like steel. I shouted in rage, and suddenly that same power from when I fought the girl coursed through me. I reared my head back and yelled, and my body burst into flame. The hairs around my wrists, ankles and wings were instantly burnt to ash, and once I was free the fire faded after a few seconds.

I flew straight down at Kagome, unharmed despite the fact that I had just been enveloped in flames, and jumped down next to her. I could feel the heat of the flames but no pain, and I wasn't burn at all. "No surprise that Phoenix demons are immune to fire," I thought to myself. To my surprise, Kagome wasn't burnt either. "Are you alright?" I asked, holding her up. She coughed and said "Yeah. Wonder why I wasn't burnt." Although I knew why, I said "We can worry about it later." I looked up and searched amongst the mass of hair, until I heard Inuyasha called "Blades of Blood!" Red bands of power flew at Yura, and she blocked them with a wall of hair. But the little light from the attacks had let me see the aura of the hairs, and I followed them to the red skull that was perched high above in the hair. I pointed.

"We need to that red skull. If we can get that, Yura will be vulnerable," I said. Kagome nodded and began climbing, while I looked over at Yura and Inuyasha. Inuyasha was lying on the ground, and Yura stood next to him with her sword raised. "Now stay still, or that lovely hair of your will get stained with blood," she instructed. He glared at her. "Don't make me laugh!" he said, standing and plunging his hand forward. His arm went through her chest and halfway out of her back, and when he pulled it back out not only was there a gaping hole in her torso, but he grabbed the bag containing the Jewel. "Hah, that'll teach you!" he said smugly, but then she stepped on his hand.

Almost as if nothing happened, she said "Well I never. A half-demon I just met sticking his hand into my chest?" While she wasn't looking I flew until I was above her, and plunged down with my hand enveloped in flame. "Then try this!" I said, and hit her in the side with a flaming right hook. Her eyes widened in pain and she jumped back, holding her side and rubbing it. "I would think a lady like yourself would know better than that," she said angrily. She was about to jump at me when the hairs attached to her comb tugged, and we both looked. Kagome was climbing up the hairs, trying to reach the skull. "That girl…" Yura muttered, and she waved her comb. Inuyasha grabbed her sword. "Watch where you're looking!" he called, slashing her across the back.

Hair rushed over the wound and healed her, and she turned around right into a roundhouse kick to the stomach, courtesy of me. "The two of you are becoming a nuisance!" she said, waving her hand. More hair wrapped around me and pulled both of us back, until Inuyasha and I were slammed against a stone wall. Despite that Inuyasha chuckled. "When I made that hole in your chest it was like you broke a nail. But now you seem mad for real. What are you hiding in there?" he asked. Yura didn't say anything and glared at him, until Kagome said "Inuyasha! It's that red skull! Focus on that!" "What red skull?" he asked, but Yura had recognized it and spun around, leaping with her sword drawn.

"No chance!" I said, and jumped after her. But more hair blocked my way, and Kagome tried to keep herself from falling. "You're tangling it up!" Yura said, and flung her sword at Kagome. However, it made absolutely no impact, and Kagome fell down until she was caught by her arms. "What are you? Why don't you bleed?!" Yura demanded. "The Robe of the Fire Rat, idiot" I muttered, before clawing my way through the hair and running behind her. "How do we defeat her?" I asked Inuyasha, and he grunted. "How about this? Blades of Blood!" he said, and fired more bands of red forward. I threw another barrage of smaller fireballs, and they attached to the Blades of Blood to set them afire. They hit Yura dead-on and she fell forward, the hairs attached to her hands cut from the attack.

All the hair began to collapse to the ground, and the skulls along with it. "I-Inuyasha… Yume…" Kagome said weakly, near fainting from lack of oxygen. "Don't you dare faint on me you stupid girl!" Inuyasha warned her. I flew down and caught her, and once we landed on the ground I set her down. But then the sound of something rushing through the air, and I called to Inuyasha "Look out!" He turned his head and Yura's sword stabbed him straight through the chest, before pulling out and flying back towards Yura. She was unharmed at all by the attack and destruction of her hideout, standing on top of a pile of skulls. "You forget I'm immortal!" she said, and her sword sailed towards me and Inuyasha.

But then it stopped.

Yura froze in shock and we all turned, seeing Kagome stab an arrow into the red skull. "This is the one. The hairs from this skull are ties to Yura's hands!" she said, trying to break it. "Stop it! I'll kill you!" Yura screamed, and she moved her sword to where it flew at Kagome. She gasped and plunged the arrow down one more time. It broke through and all was still, until there was a burst of light and the sword was sent away. The skull burst apart to reveal a red comb, which broke in half. Yura sighed and rose into the air, her body glowing blue and fading to dust. Her clothes fell to the ground, and I stood, wincing as I did so. When Yura had slammed us into the wall one of my wings had been injured, and whenever I tried to move it a bolt of pain shot through.

"So that's what Yura really was," Inuyasha said, walking forward. "Yura was a comb?" Kagome asked in confusion. "Sure. With all that you've seen since you arrived are you really that surprised? It's probably got powers because it was once used to comb the hair of the dead," he said. "And to think, even a comb would want to go after this," I said, picking up the bag with the Jewel Shard. I handed it Kagome and she nodded her thanks. I knew she was wondering how long it would take to find them all. But then Inuyasha grabbed his kimono and flung it over his shoulder, saying "Kagome, let's go." She blinked and looked at him in surprise, which prompted a "What?" "You've never said my name before. I just think that you like me more now is all," Kagome said.

He scoffed. "Whatever. I still think you're pretty useless," he said. I gaped at him, unable to believe that he was still being rude. "Remind me next time not to save you!" Kagome said, and pushed Inuyasha in the back. When she did however he fell straight over, agony written all over his face. "If it hurts so much then you should have said something!" Kagome told him. "Let me alone!" he replied, and I covered my mouth with my hand to hide a smile. Despite it being grating on the ears, the two of them were almost funny at times. "Well, hold on then," I said, and I helped Inuyasha to his feet. I was prepared to help him back to the village like he did with me, but he shrugged me off and walked off. I shook my head; some things never change.

Back in the forest Kaede was still in the ground, and called out "Hear me, Inuyasha! Ye and Yume must join powers with Kagome if ye hope to find the shards of the Jewel. Also, don't ye dare forget where ye have buried me."

xxx

The Jewel Shard has been recollected, and now the group shall return to the village. But don't think that means that this is over, because soon Sesshomaru is to make an appearance! And with that, Tetsuaiga!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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Glad to see that I got some reviews for last chapter, so allow me to make a reply to them!

Elfen Child: Here is the more you asked for, and with everyone's favorite demon lord present!

PrincessAnime08: I do believe the group will be able to work together. (More or less)

Debjani halder23: I hope the message I gave you will keep your curiosity sated, at least for a little while.

And with that, onto the next chapter!

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Ch.7 Aristocratic Assassin, Sesshomaru

Under the light of the full moon, a lone figure stood and stared at the sky. Although he had lived long enough for see kingdoms rise and fall, the man in appearance couldn't have been more than nineteen. He was tall and slender, with fair skin and golden-yellow eyes. A dark blue crescent moon was on his forehead with a pair of purple stripes on each side of his face. Long silver hair reached down to his waist, and in the front it was only long enough to reach his eyebrows. But what was even more unique was his outfit. His kimono was mostly white, save for cherry blossom flower crests at the collars and ends of the sleeves. Tied around his waist was a long, flowing sash, which helped hold up armor with a spike pauldron on his left shoulder.

His hakama was all white and gathered around the ankles, and on his feet were black ankle-high boots. To complete the look a long white fur was draped over his right shoulder and was long enough to reach his feet. A wooden staff with a male and female head at the top glided forward in the air, and a short, green-skinned demon with a reptilian nose and bulging yellow eyes, wearing a brown kimono and a black top hat, ran forward to catch it. "My Lord, it is here!" he exclaimed. "You're sure?" the silver-haired male asked. "Aye, milord. The staff has always led us without fail," the green demon said. He ran forward towards a stone shrine, but suddenly wolves appeared from behind the rocks around it.

The green demon stopped. "Th-This isn't right at all. Milord, success! It is just as I said!" he called. The man with silver hair walked forward and the smaller demon followed behind, muttering "N-N-Nice doggies…" He stopped in the middles of all the wolves, and they all growled, barking at him. He looked impassively at one of them, seeing the light from the moon glint off of one of its teeth. "The fang. It is the fang I seek here. Once I possess it, I shall transform myself into a far greater power," he said, before chuckling. "Yet why must I explain myself? My power is what it is. I shall not always be limited thus. Can it be that I am afraid? Or is that I merely not know my own limits?" he wondered.

He raised his hand into the air, which began glowing with a bright green light. "Perhaps, I assume…" he said, and the wolves all jumped forward. He spun in a circle on one foot, and a whip of pure energy spun around him, trailing from the tips of his claws. The wolves hit it and were abruptly slashed apart, the whip cutting through them like steel. While he spun the male said "The fang. It is the fang I seek here." He swung the whip one more time, blood spraying as he slaughtered.

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I gasped and open my eyes, finding myself lying on a sleeping bag Kagome had brought from her era. "_A dream. Just a dream_," I told myself. But I knew it wasn't just that. I had dreamt of Sesshomaru and Jaken looking for the tomb, the one that would hold Tetsuaiga. As if in response to my thoughts, Inuyasha shifted slightly, actually asleep for once in a while. From what I remembered of the anime, Sesshomaru and our encounter with him was scheduled to occur next. But with my knowledge of the events, I could interfere and changes the events that occur. The thought stopped me. I could change things, couldn't I? With my knowledge I certainly could, but should I?

If the events were something small, such the episode with the Toad Prince, then it wouldn't have an overall impact. But these were still the defining events of the story. This was where Sesshomaru was debuted, and where Inuyasha would get the Tetsuaiga. If I somehow prevented that, then Inuyasha would lose his crucial weapon. But then again, Sesshomaru wouldn't lose his left arm either. "Can't sleep?" Kagome asked, turning over to look at me. I shook my head and smiled. "No, just a pretty… unique… dream," I said, picking my words carefully. She nodded, before yawning. "I had a dream too. I was being chased by demons, only they all looked like walking textbooks," she admitted. I laughed and shook my head, laying back down and falling asleep.

The next morning I awoke bright and early, finding that Inuyasha was gone and that Kagome had left, probably to go look for him. "My, it's good to see you awake," Kaede said. I looked and her and nodded my thanks before walking outside. The air was filled with the sounds of villagers working in the fields and children playing around, while some of the women were cleaning the laundry and preparing for dinner. I sighed and looked away; how they were able to stand it was beyond me. Being forced to do the same thing, day in and day out… I couldn't live that way. I spread my wings and tensed my legs, preparing for flight. Not anymore. I ran ahead and jumped into the air, flapping my wings and taking off.

I smiled and closed my eyes, almost laughing at the joy that came just from flying. The winds soared past me, also keeping me aloft and making sure I did not fall. To fly was feel the ultimate sense of freedom, to truly take to the skies and live beyond the influences of anything or anybody. There was a reason the expression was "spread my wings". And now I could feel why. Bu as much I would have liked to soar, glide, duck, turn and corkscrew until the sun fell below the horizon, I had other things to do. And watch something that would also entertain me. I adjusted my course towards the forest and flew higher into the air, before laying my arms against my sides and folding my wings.

I dropped through the air like a rock and sped towards the forest, falling at an angle that would take me right to the edge of the forest. Two shapes, one in a tree and another walking towards it, appeared below me as I fell. The shapes defined themselves to be Kagome and Inuyasha, and I opened my wings just before I crashed. The wind blew against my wings and tried to push me back up, but I didn't let it and instead slowly fell to the ground next to the tree. Inuyasha looked down from one of the branches and grunted, saying "Hey," before lying back down. I nodded and heard the sounds of a bicycle, and turned to see Kagome ride towards us. "Hey Yume!" she called. "Good morning," I greeted her, and she stopped in front of the tree.

"Inuyasha, come down. You need to get some treatment," Kagome said, pulling a medicine box out of her backpack. He sat up and looked at her suspiciously. "What kind of treatment?" he asked. "First aid," I answered simply. Inuyasha looked at me in surprise before scoffing and lying back. "First aid treatment? I don't need it. Go away!" he said to Kagome. "You do too. I was there! I saw you get hurt!" she protested. "Nothing doing!" he said. "Just come one down!" Kagome said sternly. He snorted, and I could see the frustration growing on her face. And then she said the two magic words. "Sit boy!" The Beads of Subjugation glowed and yanked Inuyasha down, face-planting him against the dirt.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome angrily. "What did you do that for?!" he demanded. She got down in front of him and held the first-aid kit. "Just stay still. When you're hurt like that you need medical treatment," she said irritably. I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my laughter, but a few giggles managed to escape. Luckily, Kagome and Inuyasha had engaged in a battle to get Inuyasha's kimono off, and Kagome ended up straddling him. Just as she did though I could hear Kaede approaching, along with several children. I gasped and looked in that direction, indeed seeing them rise up over the hill. "If only Kagome and Inuyasha could try to like each other," Kaede said. One of the children pointed and said "They do like each other!"

They all looked at us, seeing Kagome and Inuyasha on top of each other while I was doing my best not to laugh. "Just take it off!" Kagome called. "Beg me to!" Inuyasha said bitingly. "Undress!" she ordered. "Avert ye eyes!" Kaede said, moving to block the sight from the children. I couldn't help it, and burst out laughing. The sight was just too damn funny. While I was rolling around on the ground, Kaede cleared her throat. "Mayhap ye like each other more than I first thought," she said. Kagome and Inuyasha both looked at her confusedly, and then at each other before the coin dropped. "And Yume, compose yourself, will ye?" Kaede added, looking at me. I hastily calmed down and stood back up, thought I couldn't stop a slight tugging at the corners of my lips.

Kagome and Inuyasha both shouted, and Inuyasha shoved Kagome off. "Idiot! I thought that you would have realized by now that my body's special!" he said, exposing her shoulder to reveal that he was healed. Kagome gasped. "The wound! It's gone," she said. "For so great a wound to heal so quickly and leave no scar," Kaede commented. "Just 'cause it would have killed a real human don't make it a bog deal for someone like me," he said. "He's right. Just before the Jewel was shattered I broke my leg, but it was completely fine it just a couple of hours," I said. They both looked at me in surprise, but before they could say anything Inuyasha called "Oww!" We looked to see a small, possibly inch-large figure attached to his chest.

The tiny being looked up, exposing a gray mustache around a pointed mouth. "Greetings and salutations," he said. Inuyasha slapped a hand against his chest and squashed the stranger, before pulling his hand back and looked at him. "Well, if it ain't Myoga the Flea!" Inuyasha said. "Flea?" Kagome asked, and I nodded. Myoga floated down to the ground, where Inuyasha kneeled down. "So, what did you come to see me about?" he asked. Myoga rose back and up and regained his three-dimensional shape, looking up. "Lord Inuyasha! I've come to-" he began, before Kagome sprayed a can of insecticide on him. "Tell… you…" he finished, before falling back on the ground.

"What's that?" Inuyasha asked, looking at the can. "Oops," Kagome said, while I sighed. "From now on, let the talking flea speak _before_ you get him with the bug spray," I advised.

* * *

"Someone's trying to rob my father's tomb?!" Inuyasha demanded in shock. The sun had set and we all sat around the fire in Kaede's hut. "As guardian of his final resting place, I could bear it no longer," Myoga said. "So you abandoned the grave and came here," Inuyasha replied. Myoga reluctantly nodded. "But it's the remains that are important, and they are no longer there," he said. "Then where are they?" Inuyasha asked him. "Regrettably sire, no one knows," he answered, shaking his head. "Inuyasha. They say your father was a phantom beast and that he claimed the Western Lands as his territory," Kaede said. "Maybe. Can't say I remember much about him, though," Inuyasha said.

"Your father was a demon among demons, great and powerful. His blood was especially delicious, and you, Master Inuyasha, have inherited that trait," Myoga said. "So, what about his mother?" Kagome asked. I had been only half-listening until now, but at that I snapped awake. "She was beauty beyond compare. A real-" Myoga started to say, but the Inuyasha literally stepped on him. Rubbing his foot to make it worked, he jumped down and walked towards the door. "Hey, what was that for?" Kagome asked. "Just drop it, would ya?! She died a long time ago," Inuyasha said bitingly, walking out. I wondered whether or not to follow, but then a thought occurred to me that convinced me to stay.

"I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?" Kagome asked. "Aye, well…" Kaede said awkwardly. "All I did was ask about his mom," she said. Myoga sat back up, rubbing his head. "Yes. Master Inuyasha has always preferred not to speak of her," he said sadly. Kagome looked at him, than at Kaede, before gazing at me questioningly. I shrugged my shoulders. "If it bothers you, ask why. Just don't expect to get many answers," I said. She thought about it for a second, before nodding and standing. She walked out, and now that I had Myoga to myself I thought it was a good time to voice my thought. "Hey, Myoga?" I asked. He looked at me. "Yes, my dear? What was your name again?" he responded.

"Yume. I was wondering if you could answer one of my questions," I said. "Possibly. What might that question be?" he said. "Do you… know anything about… the Phoenix Demon tribe?" I asked. "The Phoenix Demons?" he asked in surprise. When I nodded and chuckled, tilting his head back. "Now there's a name I haven't heard for at least a few centuries," he commented, before looking back at me questioningly. "But why would you ask about such a thing? The Phoenix Demons were annihilated a long time ago. Absolutely none of them remain," he said. "Don't be so sure of such a thing," Kaede advised him. He switched his gaze to her confusedly, before back at me. I smiled knowingly, and without warning will my wings to appear.

They did, in a blaze of red-yellow flames before fading away, and the blood-red feathers seemed to almost shimmer in the light of the fire. "What?!" Myoga shouted, leaping back in shock so far he hit the wall with a surprisingly audible _thud_. Once he landed back down he got right back, hopping frantically. "B-But, how is this even possible? I served the Great Dog Demon when he fought the Phoenix Tribe! How can any member of them still be alive?!" he shouted. "It's a long story, one that I promise to share soon. But first, you answer my question. What can you tell me about the tribe?" I said. Myoga settled down and sighed, crossing his arms. "Very well. I'm assuming that you already know the most basic history of the- _your_- tribe, so I'll leave that part out. But what in specific do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"I know that the Phoenix Demons had the power to control fire. But what things in particular could they do?" I questioned. He sighed, sounding as if he had to explain something complicated. "Your assumption that fire was the Tribe's only power is a common one. But that actually is wrong," he said. I raised an eyebrow. "Wrong? How?" I asked. "Fire was indeed one form of the power of the Phoenix Demons Tribe. But what they could actually do, their true strength, was manipulate pure energy," he replied. I was about to ask what he meant when he continued. "By energy, I mean the form of power behind almost any occurrence in nature. Lightning storms, volcano eruptions, earthquakes, and, as you have seen, fire.

"But destructive occurrences were not the only things they could wield and make happen. If that had been the case, they would have never had made such a successful invasion into other territories as they did. They also had members who were able to heal, because they manipulated the healing properties of their allies bodies to occur at a faster pace, while as a trade both the healer and healed would be drained of energy. And a select few, ones with great power and mental strength, could even do things such as create crops from barren soil and cleanse water with a single touch. As the Phoenix Demons themselves put it, their power was only limited by their experience and imagination," Myoga explained.

I sat back, stunned. The power to manipulate pure energy- the very thought left me dazed. Not only because of what Myoga had said, but the possible ramifications because of what I had learned in my world. There was a train of thought in my world called String Theory- that all matter at its most basic level was simply tiny, vibrating strings of energy. And if that theory was true, and I possessed the power to manipulate energy… I gasped. Then that meant I was literally of manipulating matter itself. "Um, Yume? Yume?" Myoga asked. When I didn't respond he said "Well, I'll give you some time to process the information." I nodded mutely and stood, walking outside.

To control matter… it was a truly mind-blowing thought. Two of the most basic laws of physics were the neither mass nor energy could be created to destroyed. But even so, the take pure energy, and through that matter, and wiled it as both a weapon of healing and of mass destruction was beyond anything I had imagined. And there were those bursts of unnatural power, such as when I attacked Yura with lava and I made my body burst into flames. Were those forms of my abilities as well? And if so, where had they come from? Countless questions swirled about in my head, but none of them had any answers. I noticed that I was nearing where Kagome and Inuyasha were, and I tried to drive the thoughts from my mind.

But then I felt a force, one of almost unimaginable power, and the wind rustled. "Get down!" Inuyasha yelled, and leaped down to drive both me and Kagome against the ground. Both of us looked up and at him, saying as one "What did you do that for?" "Do you feel it?" he asked. I nodded, and suddenly a creaking sound drew out attention towards the sky. A carriage with no horse moved out from behind the clouds, accompanied by several floating imp-like creatures. "A carriage?" Kagome asked. The cover on the back shifted, revealing a woman with beautiful features and long flowing back hair. "There's a lady in there," Kagome said, and Suddenly Inuyasha stood and walked forward. His expression was unlike any on his face I had seen, and then he said one word that I knew spelled trouble.

"M-Mother…"

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More information about the Phoenix Demons and next chapter the scheme of Jaken will take place! Can our heroes discover the truth fast enough, or will Sesshomaru gain the way to the tomb? Find out next chapter!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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As usual, replies before the storm!

PrincessAnime08: The overall storyline will continue, but I will most definitely include a plot twist here and there.

Elfen Child: Here it the chapter, and I hope the wait was worth it.

Akita91: There will be one eventually, but he sadly will not be a good guy.

And so, the story goes on!

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Ch.8 Un-Mother

"M-Mother…" Inuyasha muttered. Kagome and I both gasped at the word, looking back up at the woman in the flying carriage. She had long flowing back hair and kind brown eyes, with pale skin and wearing a robe of nobility. "It is you. Inuyasha!" I could faintly hear her call, reaching towards him. But the imps tightened the chains around her, and she gasped in pain. "Mother!" Inuyasha called. "But how can that be possible? Your mother's dead, remember?" Kagome reminded him. "Yeah, it has to be a trap. Don't fall for it!" I added, trying to make it sound like I didn't know what was going on. The carriage flew farther away, but then suddenly a huge, three-fingered arm reached down from the clouds and grabbed it, crushing the wooden planks like twigs.

Two red eyes glowed within the clouds, and the rest of the demon moved forward to where we could see it. It had to be eighty feet tall, and its body was thin and muscular with leather brown skin. Besides the eyes it had long ahs-gray hair, from which a pair of horns protruded. Inuyasha's mother was in its left hand, and Kagome said "He's going to hurt your mom!" "No, he's not!" Inuyasha said, jumping into the air. "Inuyasha! Don't!" I called, but it was useless. Inuyasha had almost reached his mother when a torrent of fire shot out of nowhere, and he had to flip back down next us. On closer inspection we saw that it was Jaken, and on the huge demon's shoulder was Sesshomaru. I gasped. I had seen Sesshomaru in the series, and a couple of the manga. But up close he was… was…

Absolutely _gorgeous_.

I stared at the silver-haired demon with my mind blank. His hair was even longer than mine, and glinted almost unnaturally in the light of the moon. Although I knew he was centuries old, he looked in appearance only a few years older than me. And there was something else- his aura. Just like Inuyasha's was red, Kagome's was pink and Yura's had been pitch-black, Sesshomaru's aura was a golden-yellow. But it wasn't just the appearance of the aura, but the pure _power_ that I could see from it. Sesshomaru wasn't just strong; his strength and ours wasn't just in different leagues. They were in entirely different sports. When he spoke his voice was like velvet, and it was only what he said that broke me out of my trance.

"Jaken. Once we're done here, I want him dead," Sesshomaru ordered. "Yes, my lord!" Jaken happily replied. "It is you. Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha called. "Indeed. I've quite missed you as well. Little Brother," the demon lord said. "He's your brother?" Kagome asked, despite that having already been said. Sesshomaru looked at her and me with mild interest. "A mortal, and another half-demon," he noted. "Yeah. What of it?" Kagome asked. Sesshomaru grinned, like he had just thought of something funny. "For you, Inuyasha, the girl suits you," he said. The huge demon raised the chain around Inuyasha's mother's neck higher, causing her to wince.

"These human creatures. One would think you would be tired of them. Or is it a taste from father?" he asked. "Don't listen to him. Anything he says could be a lie," I advised Inuyasha, doing my best not to look at Sesshomaru's face. "Sesshomaru, you couldn't have come all this way just to tell me that!" Inuyasha said, his fists clenched. "Be not a fool. I have no such time to waste. Our father's tomb, tell me where it is," he replied. "Our father's tomb? How would I know where it is?" Inuyasha demanded. "'Seeing but never seen. Protected but never known to its protector.' No other clues are known," Sesshomaru explained. "I don't even know what you're talking about! And even if I knew I sure as hell wouldn't tell you!" Inuyasha said.

"I see. Then you leave me no choice but to let your mother's suffering convince you," Sesshomaru said. He summoned a whip of energy and lashed the larger demon on the side of the head, causing it to growl before tightening its grip on Inuyasha's mother. "Nice try, jerk! She's been dead for years and we both know it! Like I'd really fall for a stupid trick like that!" Inuyasha said smugly. Sesshomaru smiled. "A trick is it?" he asked. "You're the one who's stupid. Recalling spirits from the netherworld is a simple task _if_ you are Lord Sesshomaru. He was even so kind as to give her flesh. And yet her own son would seek to deny it. How pitiful to be mother to someone such as you!" Jaken said tauntingly.

Inuyasha's expression changed from anger to shock, and I knew I had to act. "Don't listen to him, Inuyasha; he's lying. Even if it was for your father's tomb, Sesshomaru wouldn't even contemplate seeking information from you. Or go through all of this trouble," I said to him. Sesshomaru glared at me, and I froze from a combination of both hormones and fear. "For another half-demon, you have a rather nosy personality," he pointed. I didn't know what to say, partially because I didn't know how to respond to that and partially because my brain wasn't properly functioning. Inuyasha's mother looked down from here she was being held and smiled. "I have come back, Inuyasha. Back from the land of the dead," she said, before fainting.

"Stop hurting her!" Inuyasha yelled, and jumped forward. "Inuyasha, no!" I yelled, but it was no use. The sight of his mother had made the blood rush to his head. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" he called and he slashed straight through the demon's arm, chopping the hand off at the wrist. His mother fell to the ground and Kagome rushed towards her, sighing in relief. "She's okay!" she said. "Kagome, Yume, get her out of here!" Inuyasha said. "I think not. And you, you are worthless!" Sesshomaru said, jumping up and slashing his whip across the huge demon's face twice. It roared and pain and lunged forward with its remaining arm, hitting Inuyasha in the back and sending him towards us.

"Inuyasha!" his mother said, and he raised her hands towards him. A ball of white shined within the air, at the center of which was a white lotus flower. My eyes widened and I was about to run, but before I could I was enveloped in the light. The others were as well, and Inuyasha, his mother, Kagome and I were transported to another location. Once we were gone Sesshomaru looked down, saying "What a bother." "Aye, milord. And yet it goes so well," Jaken said. "This scheme of yours in beneath me. Should it fail, you will die," the demon lord said calmly. Jaken's eyes widened and he fell back, nodding. "A-As you will," he agreed.

* * *

When I awoke I was lying on my side, wings folded against my back. The place we were at was a garden filled with light, grass-green hills and flowers that sloped down to a lily covered pond. Kagome was a little ways away from me and across the pond was Inuyasha. I frowned, something about this setting wasn't right. Wasn't something about to happen, something that had to do with Inuyasha's mother? I tried to remember, but my mind was hazy and I couldn't think properly. Inuyasha woke up and stood, looking around. "Where are we?" he thought aloud. His mother walked forward, wearing a different robe but still one of nobility. "At the border of the spirit world. I must now be crossing over," she said.

"Crossing over? Oh yeah… it happened so long I keep forgetting your dead," Inuyasha said, scratching behind his ear. They walked together for a while, and his mother said "Inuyasha. You have… become a man." "Well yeah. I mean, when you died I guess I was just still a kid," he said. "Such terrible, violent days. And you all alone, with no one to care for you. Forgive me. You must have suffered so much," Inuyasha's mother said. "Uh, don't worry about it. It wasn't really your fault," Inuyasha said. His mother smiled and softly said "Inuyasha…" He turned to look at her, and the two of them stared at each other in silence for a long while. I smiled; I was glad to see them together again.

I didn't really want to ruin the moment, but from where I was laying I was starting to get cramped. But when I tried to move, my limbs wouldn't remove. I frowned; had my arms and legs just fallen asleep? I tried flexing my wings, but to my alarm I couldn't move those either. I looked around, trying to see what was wrong, but there was nothing that I could see. Then I looked at their reflection, and I gasped as he fog over my mind lifted and I remembered. The reflection of Inuyasha's mother had no face. It wasn't her. And the reason I couldn't move was- "Mother…" Inuyasha said, sitting down in front of the pond. She wrapped her arm around him and asked "Partings are never easy, don't you agree?"

I focused harder, and the auras of all the things around me appeared. There was Inuyasha's red, Kagome's pink, and around the woman who looked like Inuyasha's mother was the black aura of a demon. She stood and said "Inuyasha, I must be going now." "Oh… do you have to?" Inuyasha asked, reluctant to let her go again. She smiled and held up her hands, a lotus flower appearing. She let the petals separate and fall into the water, causing ripples. The reflection changed, and showed that of a ball bouncing along a bridge. A young boy, Inuyasha as a child, chased after the ball and caught it. Then he noticed his mother standing in the middle of the flower field, and dropped the ball as he ran to her.

"That's me, back when I was small," Inuyasha said. "You remember. That's good. When you were young, I often embraced you like that. I held you close to my heart, just as I am now," the false mother said, hugging Inuyasha tightly. Looking sleepy, he moved around and hugged her face to face. I wanted to vomit, but I still couldn't move and was thus unable. "I won't let you go. Not now, not ever," the fake mother promised, and her hands actually began sinking into his back. "Mother…" Inuyasha said, falling unconscious. I began struggling harder, but despite that I still couldn't move. Come on, already! Just let me go- I gasped, as suddenly the landscape changed around me.

Darkness began creeping into the pond, while the light that had filled the garden faded away. I could see the floating remains of a bull or cattle, and now the garden revealed itself for what it really was- a dark and rotting swamp. Along with it the real reason I was bound came into view- chains were wrapped around my limp and driven into the ground with spikes, monitored by groups of imps. I could hear Myoga jump over to Kagome and try to free her, but I focused on getting myself out. I couldn't love my hands, so I wouldn't be able to grab the chains and melt them. But hadn't Myoga said that fire wasn't a Phoenix Demon's only ability. They could manipulate pure energy, and through that I could control matter itself.

That meant that if concentrated hard enough, I could even break apart the chains through pure force of will. I stared at one of link and focused, creating as realistic a metal picture as possible of the metal snapping on half. The metal began trembling, and I knew that I needed to focus harder and pour more power into it. So I did, the link shook even harder, to the point that the imps looked at it curiously. "Come on…" I muttered, clenching my teeth and focusing harder. The link began glowing red, and the one of the imps shouted in pain when it touched the link and is finger was burnt. "Just… freaking… break!" I said, and gave it one final shove of energy. The link of the chain exploded and almost microscopic pieces flew in every direction except at me.

The imps shrieked and ran away, while I sat up and stretched, feeling the toll of having force-separated clumps of molecules from each other taking effect. "I need more practice with this," I muttered. But then Kagome rushed past me, and I forgot my tiredness as I shouted "Hey!" and followed. We reached the other side and his amongst the grass, watching Jaken. "So that's Sesshomaru's henchmen, Jaken?" Kagome asked. "Aye, but keep your eye on his staff," Myoga advised us. I rolled my eyes and said "Forget that!" and ran out of the grass. Both Kagome and Myoga called for me to stop, and Jaken turned around. "Hold it right there!" he said, and he let out a torrent of fire from the top of his staff.

I ran straight through it and was unaffected, emerging in front of a stunned Jaken. "But-But how-?" he stuttered. He didn't get to say anything more, because I swung my legs and picked him in the stomach hard enough for him to rise up above my head. "You stinking little toad!" Kagome said, taking his staff and swinging it like a baseball bat. It hit Jaken dead-on and sent him flying until he landed in the middle of the pond with a huge splash. The false mother, her head truly without a face now, began moving away and we gave chase. "Wait! Let Inuyasha go!" Kagome called. "No!" she said, and ran farther back. I tried to throw another fireball, but she moved out of the line of fire and the projectile exploded against a tree.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" Kagome called, grabbing his hair. But the demon kept absorbing him, and in second his head was almost completely in. "She's sucking him in!" Kagome called. "Kagome! His spirit. Awaken it!" Myoga said. "His spirit?" Kagome asked. I nodded. "The Un-Mother was made of the grief of losing children. If we can awaken Inuyasha's spirit, then she won't be able to use his spirit to fill the void within her!" I said, looking around for the reflection. Kagome found it before I did, and pointed. "Is that child Inuyasha?" she asked. "An illusion, but yes, that's the idea," Myoga said. "So if I can destroy the reflection…" Kagome said, running forward and swinging the staff into the pond. Water spread and created ripples on the surface, breaking up the reflection.

The Un-Mother screamed and fell back, Inuyasha being released from his body and falling back. He sat back, clutching his throat and gasping, but still alive. "Are you okay?" I asked, although I knew in truth that he wasn't. "I fell for it! I can't believe I thought she was my…" Inuyasha said, looking at the Un-Mother. "It was Jaken and Sesshomaru," Kagome said, but then we heard the voice of Sesshomaru himself. "Inuyasha. I know where it is now," he said. Inuyasha glared at him and said "Sesshomaru!" and began running. But before he had taken three steps the demon lord was right in front of him, and lifted him into the air by his neck. "To think that it would be hidden in such a place… Father was determined to keep it a secret.

"And yet here it was the whole time, below our noses. Or to be technical, above our very noses. Right above, one might even say," Sesshomaru said. "What are you even talking about? You're not making any sense!" Inuyasha said, struggling to break free. "I see. Was it done without your knowledge? Well then, would you like for me to show you?" he asked. Before Inuyasha could answer he placed his index and middle finger in front of Inuyasha's right eye. I gasped, and called "Oh no you don't!" I ran forward and swung my arms in an X, calling "Fire Darts!" A dozen or so small bullets of fire shot forwards in an X, and Sesshomaru dropped Inuyasha before jumping over the darts and landing in front of me.

I gasped and froze, his face less than a few feet away from mine. Reality came back quickly though, and in the form of him grabbing my neck and lifting me up into the air. "Normally, I would spare your life for being both demonic and a woman. But in the case of a half-demon such as you…" he said, gripping my neck tighter. "I bear no such qualms." With that he threw me hard enough for me to sail through the air, and I hit my head against the same tree that had been scorched by my fireball. "Yume!" Kagome and Inuyasha called, and I groaned in response, rubbing the back of my head and wincing. Before Inuyasha could strike he was lifted back up, and Sesshomaru said "Now, back to what I was doing before…"

He placed his middle and index back in front of Inuyasha's right eye. A spark jumped forth and Inuyasha yelled in pain. Sesshomaru pulled his fingers back and a sphere emerged from his eye, landing in his palm. He dropped Inuyasha back onto the ground, and Inuyasha held his hand over his eye. "No wonder it was useless searching for it below ground. 'Seeing, but never seen. Protected, but never know to its protector.' Obviously, the tomb was in a black pearl hidden deep within your eye," Sesshomaru explained. Inuyasha lowered his hand, glaring at his half-brother hatefully. "And you… you went through all this just for that?! You made me think she was my mother!" he yelled. "Are you angry?" Sesshomaru asked, deliberately goading him.

"Sesshomaru… You bastard!" Inuyasha shouted, charging in rage. Sesshomaru jumped and swung his whip, saying "Die!" Inuyasha dodged a few of the hits, but was hit by one and fell to the ground. I tried to get up, but the pain in my head flared and I fell back. Sesshomaru swung down one more time to deliver the killing blow, but the Un-Mother suddenly jumped in front of Inuyasha and took the hit, exploding. Pieces of flesh and clothing scattered in all directions, and her head landed in front of Inuyasha. "The Un-Mother? She protected him," Kagome said in shock. "Demon spirit she may have been, but she still had a mother's heart. And isn't protecting her child in danger something a mother can't help but do?" Myoga asked.

"My boy…" The Un-Mother said weakly, before Sesshomaru swung his whip once more and destroyed it. Kagome was about to interfere, but I managed to stand and stop her. "Not yet," I said. "Jaken. Jaken!" Sesshomaru called out. He emerged from the grass and held up the staff. "My lord, the Staff of Heads is ours once more!" he said, handing it to him. Sesshomaru held them both up and smiled. "At last the moment has come," he said triumphantly. He dropped the pearl to the ground and raised the staff up, before slamming it down on top of the pearl. Light blasted outwards and the male face of the staff began laughing manically. "The old man laughs! That means the seal has been broken!" Jaken said in awe.

The light faded and a black and gray vortex appeared in the air. Sesshomaru and Jaken went through, and Myoga jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "Master, you must hurry and go after them! Do you want him to take possession of your father's treasure?" he asked. Inuyasha scoffed. "Let him have it," he said. "But sire!" Myoga protested. "I never said I wasn't going. That's Sesshomaru… I'll kill him. Kagome, you stay behind while me and Yume-" he began, before we both looked to see Kagome already climbing into the portal. "What are the two of you waiting for? A pair of invitations?" she asked, and went through. We both looked at each other, before I shrugged and we followed.

As we passed through Inuyasha said "You know Sesshomaru's there, right?" "Well yeah! That's why we have to go and teach him a lesson! No one does something like that and gets away with it!" Kagome said determinedly. I shook my head in wonder; no one could ever say Kagome wasn't confident. We passed through the portal, and emerged in the land beyond.

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Man, have I got a thing for cliffhangers. But next chapter will be worth it, as what else will appear but Tetsuaiga!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

**Notice: ** OH MY GLOB! Less than a dozen chapters into this story and it already has 1000 views?! Is something like this even possible? I guess it is, and that is because I have such wonderful reads like all of you! Thank you all so much!

* * *

And always, replies for those who reviewed!

PrincessAnime08: It was, wasn't it?

Elfen Child: I thank you for the lack of flames, and I'm glad to see that this story has received none yet. As thanks, here is the next chapter.

To an unnamed Guest: You'll see how the plot will be changed once Naraku comes about, and as for Miroku things will be rather… explosive. (Smiles deviously)

Akita91: When he makes his debut you'll get to find out. I have much in store.

But until that more comes, enjoy the fight for the Steel-Cleaving Fang!

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Ch.9 Tetsuaiga

When the three of us passed though the portal, an entirely different landscape greeted us. Rocky mountains dotted the landscape, and in the center stood a gargantuan skeleton of a canine beast wearing armor. A skeletal bird flew down and caught Inuyasha and Kagome, where I spread my wings and flew next to them. "Father…" Inuyasha said, and I was in awe. I had of course seen the remains in the episode, but like with a lot of the things in this world they were different in reality. In this case, their sheer size was breathtaking. "That's your father?" Kagome asked. "Yeah. Can't you tell?" Inuyasha replied. "What you can't I- He's huge!" Kagome exclaimed.

"They're huge because the Great Dog Demon was also huge," I said. "Yume's right. His remains are large because he himself was of incomparable stature. Here her is truest form, undisguised, the treasure blade buried within his bones. That is what Sesshomaru is after," Myoga said. The bird and I flew in and Inuyasha and Kagome landed on one of the ribbons, while I flew down. Sesshomaru was there, and the sight of him nearly made me fall out of the air. He was gazing at the sword, and I again nearly fell out of the air when I realized what it was. "Finally, I shall take possession of the sacred sword. The lethal, legendary blade capable of killing a hundred with a single stroke. Tetsuaiga," he said softly.

"They say the sword was forged of a fang from your father's own mouth. If you take possession of the fang, then you will have inherited his demon powers as well!" Jaken said in awe. Sesshomaru reached forward and grasped the sword, but the moment he did static electricity blasted outwards and shocked his hand. He pulled back and Jaken shouted in surprise, seeing blue flames burn along Sesshomaru's hand. "It's not stuck, is it?" Jaken asked. "Father has done his work well," Sesshomaru commented, his hand no longer burning. "Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha called, jumping down while Kagome stayed up on a rib-bone. "I'm not done with you yet!" he said, slashing down.

Sesshomaru dodged and he crashed against the ground. "One would think you would have more respect for our father's grave," he commented. "Rather rich words, coming from the person trying to rob it!" I said, lobbing a fireball straight at him. He again dodged and looked at me, and I froze as that golden-yellow gaze pierced me. His eyes were filled with cold malice and iron-hard determination. My mind slowly blanked, and I could sweat those eyes were sparkling darkly… "So," he said, and I snapped out of it. "I suspected it when I saw the flaming red hair and the fact that the Staff of Heads failed to burn you.

"Now I know: You are a member of the Phoenix Demon tribe," Sesshomaru said. "Maybe. What's it to you?" I replied, doing my best not to get lost in that gaze again. "I was there when your leader, Tenbatsu, was slain by my father. It was my belief that every one of your cursed tribe was dead," he told me. "Too bad that I'm alive then," I said, conjuring a fireball in each hand. Sesshomaru glared, a faint flicker of anger appearing on his expression. "Then once I have the sword, I shall have to make sure that changes," he said. Reminded about it, Myoga hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and said "Master Inuyasha, look behind you!" "What?" he asked, turning around. "The sword made from your father's fang, Tetsuaiga!" Myoga announced.

"Huh? What, this piece of junk? Tetsuai-wha? This thing couldn't cut paper! Wet!" Inuyasha said in disdain. "Just draw the sword! And you, Sesshomaru, you couldn't pull it out, could you?" Myoga asked. "Are you implying that Inuyasha can?" Sesshomaru asked. "Of course I am! The tomb was hidden in his eye after all!" Myoga began, before sliding back in fear of his wrath. "T-That should be proof enough. Now, don't be shy. Go on ahead and claim what's yours!" Myoga urged Inuyasha. He looked at the sword for a second, before shaking his head. "What entrusted? What inheritance? I don't care about that," he said, before turning around and pointing up at Sesshomaru.

"But what I _do_ mind is all the other stuff! Good thing we're in a grave, 'cause you're gonna die!" he announced, and jumped forward. Sesshomaru dodged and smiled. "Now, was that aimed at me?" he said. "It was, along with this!" I said, throwing both of my fireballs at him. He frowned and swung his energy whip, cutting them both in half in midair. The haves exploded, creating a blast of light and heat that sent us all back, except for Sesshomaru, who rushed forward. His hand wrapped around my throat and threw me hard enough for me to crash into the wall. I groaned and slumped over; the impact had nearly caused me to black out. Luckily my accelerated healing was already causing it to fade, while Myoga kept pestering Inuyasha.

"The sword! Get the sword!" he implored. "Shut up!" Inuyasha said irritably, until Kagome called out from above. "Inuyasha! Get the dumb sword! If you can't hit him in the body, hit him in the ego! Hurt his pride!" Kagome said. "I get it. I'll do it, if only to see the look on your face!" Inuyasha said, walking past Sesshomaru and jumping onto the pedestal. He grasped the handle, and Jaken emerged from a pile of skulls. "N-No! Inuyasha is immune to the spell that thwarted Lord Sesshomaru!" he said in horror. I contemplated picking up one of the skulls and hitting him with it, but I decided to wait until later. "I knew it! Tetsuaiga is destined to be Lord Inuyasha's!" Myoga said.

A glow began shining around where the sword was imbedded, and Inuyasha grunted as he pulled on the sword. "Pull harder! Draw it out!" Kagome urged him. I noticed Sesshomaru looking at him angrily, and I slowly began to skirt around the edge of the area, working my way behind him. The light kept glowing, but faded and left the sword still imbedded. "Huh?!" Kagome and Inuyasha said, while Jaken stared with his jaw unhinged. "Myoga…" Inuyasha began. "Yes?" the flea asked, before he was crushed between his master's fingers. "I couldn't pull the sword out, could I?" Inuyasha asked, his eyebrow twitching. "Not really," Myoga admitted. "Are you done? I am," Sesshomaru said, and flew forward at Inuyasha.

I cursed, my chance to attack having been lost, and followed. Inuyasha dodged a hit but was caught anyway, forced against the wall. He raised his right hand and smiled. "I don't think you've met my Poison Claws," he said. He lunged forward and Inuyasha broke out his grasp, moving away while the wall he had been against melted into sludge. Sesshomaru caught up to him and jumped into the air. "You won't escape," he said, and slashed his whip. Inuyasha managed to withstand the first hit, but the second sent him back across the ground. "Allow me to assist, my lord!" Kaken said, and started forward before Kagome jumped down onto him. I decided to change my target and help with that, yelling "Kagome, duck!"

She did, and I channeled my power to control energy and sent several of the skulls on the ground flying at Jaken. He shouted and swung his staff like a bat, knocking a few of them away but still receiving three to the face. Kagome shot up and grabbed his staff, and the two of them began pushing against each other. "You stinking toad!" Kagome said, to which Jaken replied "You stinking human!" "This human's going to kick your-" she said, before Jaken shoved her back. "I don't think so!" he said. I shot a volley of Fire Darts, but he let out a torrent of fire and sent them away. Still fighting Sesshomaru, Inuyasha saw this and called "Kagome!" The distraction allowed Sesshomaru to give him a punch straight to the face.

He fell back onto the ground, and Sesshomaru pinned him down. His hand glowed green and he flexed his fingers. "Die," he said, and lunged forward. Kagome gasped and called "Inuyasha!" and began running forward. When she did she forgot to let go of Tetsuaiga, which she had been using as a support. And with a barely audible scrape, it came free of the pedestal. She stopped and looked sword, and so appropriately said "Oops." Sesshomaru stopped and looked back at her, while Inuyasha and I did the same. "It just… came out," she said. Jaken was completely at a loss for words, completely blown away. "Sorry," Kagome said, before looking at Tetsuaiga. "Now what?" she muttered.

The five of us had been like that for a moment, Kagome still holding the sword and Sesshomaru holding Inuyasha while Jaken and I stared. "I-It can't be true! If the two of them couldn't do it, how could do a mere human ever hope to-" Jaken exclaimed, unable to even finish his sentence. Inuyasha took the chance to swing up at his brother, saying "Don't look at her, look at me!" But Sesshomaru had already shot away, appearing in front of Kagome. She shouted in surprise, and he looked at her. "What are you, and how were you able to draw the sword?" he asked. Myoga, who had somehow appeared on my shoulder, sighed and said "Good thing he's not chasing us now, huh?"

"Hey, how did you get here?" I asked, while Inuyasha called "Leave her alone, Sesshomaru! She's not involved in this!" "Inuyasha! One step closer and I'll cut you!" Kagome threatened, still trying to stay confident. Sesshomaru turned to look at Inuyasha. "For some unknown reason I was unable to draw Tetsuaiga. Fortunately, you could not either. It's obvious that she must die," he said. "You're right; it its weird that she could pull it out and we couldn't. But she's just a human girl! Kagome, give him the sword!" Inuyasha said. "No way! If he couldn't pull it out then he's not supposed to have it! He'll have to come and take it!" Kagome said defiantly. I rolled my eyes and said "This isn't the time for bravery!"

"Listen, Sesshomaru is totally ruthless! So just back off, shut up, and butt out!" Inuyasha ordered. "What?! What do you know? You're just-" Kagome began, pointing Tetsuaiga at him before Sesshomaru grunted and smiled. "Inuyasha, these humans. You're patience with them is astonishing," he commented. He put a hand behind his ear and moved it through his hair. "You protect her. Indulge her. Even seem to love her," he said. Inuyasha grunted while Kagome just looked surprised, and if the situation hadn't been so tense I would have laughed. "Surely these feeling of mercy are not something you inherited from our great and terrible father. It must have been that mother of yours. That human mother," he concluded.

"Her blood flows through you. Is it that which endears you to them? I, on the other hand, bear no such weakness," Sesshomaru said, and he flung his hand back at Kagome. Poison shot outwards and Kagome fell to her knees, the wall beginning to melt. "Kagome!" Inuyasha and I called, and I ran forward. But Sesshomaru swung his whip at me and I blocked with my arms, sent skidding back against the ground. The melted bones covered Kagome and she fell to the ground, enveloped by it and apparently having been killed. Sesshomaru lowered his hand. "So fragile, wouldn't you agree?" he commented. "Damn you…" Inuyasha said, starting to tremble in rage.

While the two of them kept talking and then fighting, I ignored them and ran to where Kagome had been buried. I tried to burn the melted bone away, but the vapors of the poison ignited when I conjured a single fireball. So, ignoring the hissing as it burned my hands, I began pulling it away to try and get Kagome out. Then Inuyasha was flung onto the ground a few feet away, and I stopped to look at him. "Half-breed or full, I don't make any difference to me. But when you insult my mother, that's when I get angry. So for her sake, if nothing else…" he said, leaping at Sesshomaru. "I'm gonna make you pay!" he announced. Sesshomaru dodged it, but just barely. "That was for mother! And this is for Kagome!" Inuyasha said, catching up to Sesshomaru and slashing him across the chest.

"Th-This can't be! A moment ago he couldn't hit at all!" Jaken said. I took the chance and picked up a skull, setting aflame before throwing it at him. It hit Jaken straight on the head and exploded, knocking him out with a possible concussion. Sesshomaru managed to regain his composure and landed back on the ground, having dodged another hit and leaving Inuyasha with his fist in the ground. He smirked. "All that for a memory and a dead girl? If I had known that's what it took you to fight, I would have killed her sooner," he said. Inuyasha glared at him. "I'll slit your stomach, take your guts out and put 'em in a bowl! By the time I'm through with you, you'll wish that you had never even met me!" Inuyasha promised.

At that moment I pulled away a huge amount of the sludge, and Kagome burst out of it, gasping. "Thought I was a goner," she said. They both looked at her in shock, while I sighed in relief. Kagome stood and pointed Tetsuaiga at Sesshomaru, saying "Hey, you! You tried to kill me just now, didn't you? Don't think you're going to get away with that!" Then she turned and handed the sword to Inuyasha. "Here. I think we underestimated the sword's powers. Don't let me down," she said. "Hey… uh… how come you're still alive?" he asked. Kagome looked at her hands, unsure of that herself. "The barrier around the sword must have protected her," I said. "Amazing! The sword prevented the effects of the poison. Now try it on Sesshomaru himself!" Myoga said.

Sesshomaru scoffed, but I could see the anger in his eyes. "Think you can?" he asked, and suddenly his eyes turned red with blue irises. A twister of wind began spinning around him, and several of the skulls rose into the air before being hurled at Inuyasha and I. Kagome ducked behind us, and although I winced at the impact Inuyasha didn't even twitched. "Can a half-demon such as yourself even wield the Tetsuaiga? I shall bear the witness!" Sesshomaru said. His body was wrapped in pink, and shot forward and around the area before shooting back down. The pink billowed outwards and faded, revealing that Sesshomaru had taken his demon form. It was that of a giant white-furred dog, with marking similar to his human form on his body. His eyes were still red with blue irises, and when he barked I could see razor-sharp teeth.

I was stunned; if I had thought Sesshomaru's aura was powerful _before_ then it was nothing to how it looked now. It was still a golden-yellow in color, but the power was on a scale that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. And that was before I even looked at the razor-sharp claws on the ends of his paws. "He's huge!" Kagome said in shock, while Inuyasha merely grunted. "Now we get to see his true form! Now I'll get to see what this sword is really made of!" he said, smiling. He waved the sword and Sesshomaru took a step back, barking. "Kagome, hide nearby. Yume, make sure she doesn't get hurt," Inuyasha said. I nodded and said "Right," while Kagome looked around. "Hide? Where?" she asked.

Not having heard, Inuyasha ran towards Sesshomaru. "Okay, Tetsuaiga. Time to show me your true power!" he said, and jumped up. Sesshomaru tired to bite at him but he dodged, slashing against his back. As if nothing had happened, Sesshomaru knocked him away with the back of his paw. He landed back down and held up his sword, which was ringing from the impact. "Hey, Myoga. What's the deal with this sword? It can't even cut?" he asked. Tying a pack around his neck, Myoga said "Well, if nothing else it'll make a lovely heirloom. And besides, it's the thought that counts!" Then he jumped off of Inuyasha's shoulder and sped away, adding "And don't let that Sesshomaru push you around!"

Sesshomaru's drool, which had been melting the skulls and releasing the same fumes as his poison, was creating a cloud of poison that had already reached waist height. "Kagome! Start climbing! We can't stay in these fumes!" I said, and before she could argue I wrapped my arm around her waist and took flight, going upwards. "Hey! Let me go!" Kagome said. But I shook my head firmly and said "Inuyasha will be fine, and I could maybe survive the fumes too. But if you stay down there, you'll melt for real this time." Kagome tried to argue, saying that she wanted to make sure Inuyasha got out, but I ignored her and flew up, throwing a fireball and destroying the side of the shoulder of the grave and landing outside.

As if on cue, Sesshomaru burst out as well, Inuyasha clenched between his teeth. The dog demon shook his head from side to side, eye twitching from Inuyasha having stuck his sword in it. Inuyasha managed to escape and attacked, but the blow barely made him blink. I got an idea and hollered at Sesshomaru. "Yoo-hoo! Dog boy!" I called, and he looked at me. I blew a raspberry and hovered over the hole down into the inside of the grave, while behind my back I flicked a match-sized spark of flame down below. Sesshomaru growled and leaped at me, and I dodged just as the spark landed in the poison fumes down below. They caught fire and exploded upwards, enveloping Sesshomaru in a pillar of flames for a few second before it burnt out.

Now his fur was badly burnt, and just from his expression I could see that he was pissed. Inuyasha ran to swing with Tetsuaiga again, but was hit back and landed next to Kagome. "Way to go, Inuyasha! I think that first hit really got him!" Kagome cheered. "How can you be positive? Yuma and I are half-demon, so we'll probably get out this. But you? You ain't got a chance," Inuyasha said. "So… I should give up hope?" Kagome asked, sniffling. I looked at her, surprised, while Inuyasha noticed it too. "Are you… Don't cry!" he said. "What, should I laugh?!" Kagome demanded. "No, you should shut up and let me protect you!" Inuyasha declared. Kagome gasped, and I blinked. Sesshomaru growled and glared at them, and Inuyasha began walking towards him. "Just watch," he told us.

Sesshomaru growled, and Inuyasha said "Yeah, yeah. 'Roar, roar' to you too, buddy." He held Tetsuaiga in front of him, and I could hear Kagome muttering about what Inuyasha had said. I channeled my power and picked up a few rocks, heating them until they were red-hot in case I needed to help. But then something that happened that proved I didn't.

Tetsuaiga began to pulse.

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I am really glad about the attention this story has gotten, and I promise to post the next chapter as soon as possible. And when I do, the power of Tetsuaiga will be revealed!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)


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